The Sleeping Bad Luck Beauty: A Gravitation Ballet
by Tsuki Aquarius Hanju
Summary: Its the beloved fairy-tale, as told by Tchaikovsky and Disney, but starring your favorite characters from Maki Murakami's Gravitation. When an evil wizard is not invited to Prince Shuichi's birthday, only Yuki and his friends can help him beat his curse.
1. Cast

_**The Sleeping Bad Luck Beauty**_

_A Fanfic J-Pop Opera/Ballet_

_music by_

Bad Luck, Nittle Grasper, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

_Adapted into fanfic form by_

Tsuki Aquarius Hanju

(Who does not own the rights to the ballet, the Disney film, nor the anime/manga, and thus does not wish to make money off of this, but is writing it anyway out of sheer fandom)

((and thus is my disclaimer))

**Cast**

Shuichi Shindou...Prince(ess) of the Kingdom of Shindou, AKA the idiot who gets cursed

Eiri "Yuki" Uesugi...Prince of the Uesugi Country who doesn't know how he gets involved with curses and the like

Ryuichi Sakuma...First Magician of the High Order and Lord of the Order of Musical Magi. How he got there, we don't know

Tohma Seguchi...Second Magician of the High Order and First of the Synthesizer Sorcerers. You don't want to know how he got there

Noriko Ukai...Third Magician of the High Order and Second of the Synthesizer Sorcerers

Hiroshi Nakano...Forth Magician of the High Order and Sovereign of the Guitar. Pretty cool, huh?

Suguru Fujisaki...Fifth Magician of the High Order and Third of the Synthesizer Sorcerers; cousin of Lord Tohma

Taki Aizawa...Evil Sixth Magician of the High Order who throws a tantrum for not being invited to a kid's party

Kumagoro...Familiar to Lord Ryuichi and unofficial Seventh Magician of the High Order, official Duke of All That Is Kawaii

Claude "K" Winchester...Captain of the Guard and Body Guard to Prince Shuichi

Mika Seguchi...Princess of Uesugi and wife of Lord Tohma. You don't want to piss her off

Tatsuha Uesugi...Younger brother of Eiri and Mika who is madly in love with (for some strange reason or other) The First Magician

Ayaka Usumi...A young dutchess (think Anastasia) who is engaged to Prince Eiri, yet is crushed on by Lord Hiroshi

Maiko Shindou...Young Princess of Shindou and Prince Shuichi's academically-better, yet loving younger sister

Mr. and Mrs. Shindou...King and Queen of the Land of Shindou, cursed with having a hyper maniac as their eldest kid

Mr. Sakano...Palace Scribe and academic tutor of Prince Shuichi. I kinda feel sorry for him, since both jobs are gonna suck

Ma-Kun and Ken-Kun... ...Lord Taki's "Apprentices" (a polite way of calling them his lackies)

Monk Uesugi...High Priest of the land of Uesugi, and very traditional father of Princess Mika and Princes Eiri and Tatsuha

Random People...Everyone else

* * *

><p>So here's a quick explanation of the universe I'm using for this AU fic (and yes, it is an AU. Bwa ha ha ha ha!): Everybody lives in castles and cottages and palaces and the like that you typically see in western fairy tales, and some of the clothes are like what you think of when you think of "Once upon a time" and , alongside horses and carriages, people also ride motorcycles. And while most of the places are lit with candles and lamps, things such as MP3s, computers, CDs and CD players, electric spotlights, electric guitars, synthesizers (obviously) and (especially) speakers and microphones also exist, alongside modern contraceptives, guns, resorts, etc. Also, most of the main cast is gonna be wearing button-down collared shirts, jeans, slacks, jackets, sneakers, sailor fuku school-girl uniforms, and most other commodities found in modern day wear form time to time. Not to worry though. I will describe things as they come about.<p>

Sorry for the confusion and inconvenience of this fic, BTW. I kinda saw this plot-bunny while baby sitting one of my friends kids... More like, said kid made me put on Disney's _Sleeping Beauty_, and while she watched that, I read one of the Gravitation manga I had brought with me, and my brain that night decided to blend the two together. I sort of like the ballet more, but I may have influences from the movie. I'll try to make this as coherent as possible. But this is a parody, so its not meant to be taken too seriously.

Oh, and due to language, violence (How violent can Sleeping Beauty possibly be?), implied sex, possible uses of alcohol, rape, and other nasty things, this fic is rated M for Mature audiences; not I for Immature. You have been warned.


	2. Overture

I will say it again; I do not own the rights to Murakami Maki's Gravitation, nor rights to Tchaikovsky's ballet/Disney's sixteenth animated classic, _The Sleeping Beauty_. I am just a fan of the anime and Tchaikovsky, and do not desire to make a profit from this. Yay! Now sit back, have some strawberry flavored anything, and enjoy the show.

(Also, no flash photography in the theater. Thank You.)

**Prologue**

_Introduction_

Long ago, in an alternate reality not too distinct from our own, there lived a king and queen in the fictitious land of Shindou. While they were good at their jobs as rulers, were well-liked by their people and the surrounding kingdoms, and had all the money, food, fun, and "private" time they could want, their only major failure in life was their ability to procreate... or, should we say, their lack of ability. At first, the King blamed the queen for taking too many contraceptives when they first got together. Then the Queen blamed the King for making her take it, and then made an insult to his number of seeds to plant. But whatever the actual cause was, be it the King's seed or the Queen's wacko hormones, they just couldn't pop out a kid for the life of them.

Then, one day, while the King and Queen were vacationing at a hot springs resort, the queen decided to go into the women's only bath after yet another fight about their lack of heirs. As Lady Shindou tried to relax in the warm, hot water, she looked up at the clear night sky, where all the stars in the universe twinkled gayly at her.

"Damnit, Kami-Sama," sighed Queen Shindou as she gazed sorrowfully at the night sky, "Why can't I get pregnant? I know, it was my choice to take the birth control, but back then, I was way too irresponsible to take care of a kid. Now that things have settled down and i'm done with the whole knight life stuff, I want to be able to have a little bundle of joy that I can sing to and care for. Hell, I don't give a damn if its a boy, girl, or otherwise, can I pleeeeeeeease have a kid now?"

Just then, there was a single star that started shining more brightly then the others, It started off being a purpleish color, then became bright pink in the center, then developed a reddish hue... then the queen realized that the bright light was heading straight for her.

"KYA!" Screamed the queen as she scrambled out of the hot spring, neglecting the towel that was near by, and trying to get out of the star's trajectory as fast as possible.

KA-BOOM!

Hot water rained down from above, and now the queen was covered in dirt and dust from the debris. Where the hot spring was, there was now an empty hole, save for a glowing pink object in the center.

"What the heck...?" the bemused queen thought.

"Why don't you take a look?"

"KYA!" the Queen screamed again, taking cover behind a nearby rock.

"Okey, its not like I haven't seen anything you've got before," the kiddy-like voice said crossly as Lady Shindou looked around, trying to locate the disembodied voice. "Also, I'm not all that into girls, so you can just chill out, ya know?"

When the Queen realized that the speaker was right behind her, her face turned bright red underneath all the dirt she was now covered in, and she let out another shriek as a man dressed in a pink bunny mascot costume with blue overalls and a rabbit nose stood over her hiding place, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"HENTAI!" screamed the Queen, throwing rocks, concrete, and anything in her immediate reach at the strange cosplayer. "PERVERT! PEEPING TOM! GET AWAY FROM ME BEFORE I RIP OUT YOUR EYEBALLS AND NADS AND SHOVE THEM DOWN YOUR THOUGHT!"

"Woah! Hey!" said cosplayer yelped as he tried to dodge the flying projectiles "Is this any way to treat your wish-giver?"

"I DON'T GIVE A- Wait...," Queen Shindou stopped, holding a rock that seemed almost as big as she was above her head. "Wish-giver?"

"Yeah, wish-giver, as in somebody who grants wishes," the giant bunny said as she set down the giant rock, brushing off the dust from his suit. "You said that you just wanted a kid, right?"

"Yeah," said the Queen sceptically, not sure if this was a dream or not.

"Then look down into that nice little hole there and get that shiny, will ya?"

Hardly believing that she was actually fallowing the rabbit-man's instructions, let alone the fact that she was naked, covered in muck, and being bossed around by a rabbit-man to begin with, she climbed into the crater and got the shiny pink thing. Much to her surprise, it looked like a glowing strawberry.

"If you eat that," called the bunny dude, "Then you'll have about nineteen plus years of the joys and pains of parenthood, along with somewhere between twelve and thirty hours of labor after the first nine months!"

"Are you kidding me?" Lady Shindou questioned, poking at the thing. It even _felt_ like a real strawberry!

"Does this look like the face of a Kuma-Chan who would lie to you?" Asked the cosplayer, who was now in SD Chibi form. It was really kinda cute, in a creepy sort of way.

After a while of thinking, while dealing with the big, shiny puppy eyes of the rabbit, the queen sighed, "Why not?" and ate the glowy berry whole.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" said the bunny, giving her a V sign "Now go forth, my crazy naked chicky friend, and get jiggy with your snuglebear! You're gonna be a Mommy! And don't forget to invite the Musical Magi to the party!"

"Um...Sure thing?" said the Queen as the rabbit hoped out of sight, wondering what just happened. Other then dirty and now the complete opposite of relaxed, she didn't feel any different then before she ate the strange space-fruit. But after waiting for five minutes to see if there were any other side effects, and after several pinches, she decided that it was definitely NOT a dream, and that she was in serious need of a shower.

After spending about twenty minutes washing the last of the dirt out of her hair, the Queen of Shindou heard a knock.

"Honey, are you in there?" It was her husband, the king.

"Yeah," the Queen called back. "I'll be out in a minute!"

"It's alright!" the King replied. "I just need brush my teeth!"

"Come on in then!" Lady Shindou returned, sighing inwardly. Should she even try to explain what had just happened in the hot spring?

The King opened the door, and Queen Shindou peeked out from behind the shower curtain, just to be sure that no more random peeping cosplayers were there to disturb her evening.

It was definitely her husband. All he was wearing was the robe that the spring resort provided for their guests. However, for some reason, he seemed somewhat _sexier_ then he normally looked... and she also felt a strange, yet all-too familiar primal _urge_. Almost reminiscent of when she was a horny teenager...

"Darling," she called out, pushing the curtain aside to show herself to her hubby, who was foaming at the mouth with toothpaste.

"Huh?" the king asked, very confused by his wife's demeanor.

"Would you like a little, _scrubbing_?" the Queen purred seductively, getting a wash cloth all wet and soapy.

"I was actually about to go to bed, but-," the king started.

"Get your sweet ass in here, NOW!" she demanded, fully succumbing to her animal instincts and grabbing her husband, ripping off his robe in the process.

"What the hell-?" the King gasped, but soon, all that could be heard from the shower was the sound of the water and the rhythmic screams, gasps, and yells of pleasure.

Thus, our main character was conceived.


	3. Act I Pt 1

I shall reiterate, I do not own the rights to Gravitation or Sleeping Beauty (ballet or anime). I am just a fan, I'm only doing this for my own amusement and the amusement of those who read fanfiction about Gravitation. I do not wish to make money off of this, am not in any way, shape, or form claiming this to be cannon or anything, and do not wish to be sued for copyright infringement or anything. Thus is my third disclaimer, and from this point on shall not disclaim any further due to my personal policy and dislike for repeating myself. Should any additional elements such as songs and borrowed scenes and the like occur, I shall disclaim them as they come up, and shall only do so once.

Also, I do not own "I'm Just A Singer In A Rock And Roll Band," which is property of the Moody Blues. I couldn't think of an appropriate J-pop song to introduce the Musical Magi, and didn't see a reason why I couldn't use an English song. I still would have had to have disclaimed it for the same reasons as everything else used in this thing. BTW, Bold is Ryuichi, Underlined is Tohma, and Italic is Noriko in the singing. All three means that they're together.

Oh, and before I forget, since I am trying to make this resemble the ballet, I've highlighted the names of the ballet pieces that illustrate the scenes in italic. I may scrap this code if I find it too hard to keep up with, but for now, that's the way its meant to be read.

Now, on with the show!

* * *

><p><em><strong>ACT I Pt. 1<strong>_

_**Scene 1, The Grand Hall**_

_Entree du Roi Shindou et sa cour_

"Come ON people!" Shouted the long-haired blonde, armed with the magnum .44 and firing it at a pair of rather frenzied servants. "If the bullet goes through the trimming _or_ trapping, that means that its OFF CENTER!" He fired another shot at the poor servant who was trying desperately hard to straighten up the tapestry he was hanging.

"And you there!" He barked, turning to another servant and sending another shot towards her. "That's a delicate piece of crystal wear your carrying! Not some run-of-the-mill cheap knock-off!"

"I'm so sorry, K-Sama!" the girl yelped as she tried to protect the punch bowl to the main dining table without getting it or herself shot.

"And why is it taking so long to set a goddamn table anyway?" The Captain of the Guard roared at the maids who were set to that particular task. One of the bullets that were fired at them ricocheted off the walls and pillars and into one of the streamers that a boy had spent almost a half an hour under fire to make perfect.

"Somebody PLEASE fix that!" K demanded as he shot three times into the ceiling. "And what's with all the scared and gloomy faces, people? Our king and queen just had a kid this morning! This is a HAPPY OCCASION!"

He fired some more shots into the ceiling, and the multitude of servants and maids began to sing, as merrily as they could muster while being scared out of their wits by the idea of being shot at.

"Health to the good house, wealth to the good house, Long live the good house of Shindou..."

"Much better!" K grinned. "Now, does anybody know who's supposed to have already had the royal cradle set up, so that I can have the pleasure of blowing out their brains?"

"Captain K," came a voice from the hall entrance "Please be more careful with your firearms!".

"Ah, Sakano-San!" said the gun-happy blond, "I take it you've come back with the complete list of guests?"

The highly stressed out, four-eyed scribe handed over the scroll he was carrying, and let it roll. It was at least twice as long as K was tall (and we all know that K ain't no midget).

K let out a low whistle. "And these are all the people who are _coming_ to this christening thing?"

"Yes, sir," said Sakano, "Everyone in the neighboring kingdoms has agreed to celebrate the birth of King Shindou's child. By the way, is the baby a boy or a girl? I was sent out right as Her Highness the Queen went into labor."

"Ah, that's right!" said K, striking his palm in realization. "I think that it's a girl."

"You _think_?" Sakano questioned. "I thought you were there at the birth!"

"I was," K replied, "But as soon as we saw her come out with a head of thick pink hair, the king was so ecstatic that he demanded that the palace be ready for the celebration as soon as possible, and had me in charge of making sure everything goes smoothly. He plans on naming her at the ceremony."

"I see," Sakano replied, nodding his head in agreement.

"Hello there!" called out a jolly voice from one of the upstairs terraces in the great hall.

"Ah, if it isn't the proud father himself!" K called out. "What do you think so far your highness?"

"I knew that I could count on you to get this place looking perfect for my daughter's christening, Captain Winchester!" King Shindou laughed. "Is that Sakano that I see down there with you?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Sakano said, bowing in respect.

"Then that means that you went all the way to Mount G-M to the Musical Magi?"

"Yes sire," said Sakano, bowing again. "And all of them agreed to come celebrate the birth of Shindou's new heir. If you want to be sure, I have all the names right here-"

"Splendid!" said the king, "I knew that I could count on you Sakano! So,"(He brought out his hand dramatically)"with out further adu," (He spun around) "let the feast begin!" (Final pose)

"As soon as we have the royal cradle here, Your Highness," said K, bowing. "Now," (he reloaded and cocked his gun) "Where _is_ that cradle anyway?"

_Scene dansante - Entree des Guests bonnes/ Pas de cinq:Introduction/Adagio_

"Ah, Uesugi, my good man!"

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Shindou!"

The King embraced his long time hunting partner and friend, the bald Holy Man and defacto leader of the theocratic land of Uesugi, as they did every time they saw each other; one hug, three pounds to the back, and then a docie-doe that ended in a Super-Sentai-like pose/fist-bump that would embarrass their mothers when they were kids, and certainly did embarrass Uesugi's eldest daughter, Mika, and Lady Shindou.

"So lets see the little bundle of joy you've got here!" High Priest Uesugi smiled as he peeked over the edge of the cradle and saw the pink tuft nestled under the fluffy blue moon-and-star blankets. "She's absolutely adorable!"

"Isn't she?" said King Shindou proudly,"Both my honey and I worked _really_ hard to get her perfect!"

"Darling," smiled the queen through gritted teeth, trying to maintain her composure and not clobber her husband, "I'd _prefer_ if you _DIDN'T _ talk about how we made our baby."

"Ah," the king started, but crumbled under the Medusa-like gaze of anger his wife threw at him,"Yes, dear."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Uesugi laughed. "I remember the first time she gave you that glare! I swear, I thought-"

"If you don't mind, _father_," growled Mika, not at all trying to hide her opinion, "Could we carry on with this party instead of spending it acting like some over-grown kid who keeps forgetting that he's an adult!"

"Sorry Mika," Uesugi replied, crumbling just as easily as his best friend under Mika's just-as-intimidating-as-Queen-Shindou's-if-not-more-so glare.

"And who might this strapping young man be?" King Shindou asked, noticing a blond boy and trying to lighten things again.

"Ah, you've never actually met my eldest son, have you?" The Priest asked, bringing said youth before his best friend, fallowed by an older, yet still youthful man.

"This is my eldest son, Eiri, and his tutor, Yuki Kitazawa. Kitazawa here has been a disciple of mine for some time, and is such a gifted scholar that when Eiri was born, I knew immediately who I wanted to teach my son."

Little Eiri bowed his head meekly, while his tutor bowed graciously.

"It is quite an honor being here, your Majesties," said the five-year-old Eiri.

"And so polite for someone so young!" the king smiled, ruffling the boy's hair. "You've definitely found a good tutor, my friend. But what of your wife? I thought you would have brought her with you to celebrate."

"Ah, I'm afraid that she has been unwell, recently," said Lord Uesugi with a sigh. "She keeps having visions of getting pregnant again, among other...ahem...more disturbing prophecies. The doctor keeps telling her that at her age it could be fatal to have another child, but she just won't let the dreams go."

"Then again," the king nodded somberly, "She was and is still quite a renowned seeress."

"It is a shame that she couldn't have come," said Queen Shindou, who was best friends with Lady Uesugi. "You both know that you are welcome here anytime, right?"

"Why thank you, Madam Shindou," Uesugi replied, "I will be sure to inform my wife."

While the adults were busy talking about his mother, the young prince Eiri, with Master Kitazawa's supervision, wandered over to the lavish crib to see the baby.

"Eiri!" Uesugi barked once he noticed where his son wandered, "You shouldn't be over there!"

"Its alright," laughed the King, "Let them get to know each other. Say, what do you think about the idea of our kids, you know, hitching with each other?"

"You mean, my son and your daughter?" said the Priest, thinking for a second. "Yeah, that wouldn't be a bad idea... Sure!"

"By the way, Mika-Hime," Queen Shindou said, turning her attention to the eldest of the Uesugi children and not at all paying attention to the conversation her husband was having, "How was your honeymoon in the tropics?"

"Nothing short of amazing," Mika replied pleasently and politely, although there was an ever-so-slight hint of smugness in her tone. "Ah, my Tohma really knows how to treat a girl... And can you believe that he's a Musical Magi? He's also so sweet and gentle..." And she sighed as she recalled said honeymoon.

"Speaking of Musical Magi," said King Shindou, hand over his eyebrows in an attempt to aid him in scanning the crowd, "Are they arriving soon, or have they already got here? My scribe assured me that they all got their invitations and R.S.V..."

"Trust me," Assured Mika, "They _did_ get their invitations. Lord Ryuichi wouldn't shut up about how 'excited he was about being invited to a birthday party,' and if he wasn't the Highest of the Order of Magi, I would have had half a mind to clobber him. They _should_ be here at any moment, now..."

Just then, all the lights in the hall suddenly dimmed, and new, colorful, electric stage lights replaced them, flashing and darting randomly in every direction just as fog coated the floor and a steady electric drumbeat resounded.

As a single guitar added to the rhythm, a bright, indigo spotlight illuminated the person playing it; a man with long brown hair in a blue collared shirt that was unbuttoned just enough to show his chest, and a belt with a purplish-blue wolf engraved into it that was slightly glowing; everyone could have sworn that the man wasn't there before.

Yet when he repeated the rift, the rhythmic downbeat became more distinct, and this time a green spotlight highlighted a green-haired youth with a pink button-up shirt with a black vest and a wrist band decorated with an emerald serpent that was glowing as well.

A second synthesizer joined in as a purple spotlight highlighted a hot woman with lilac hair in pigtails and an arm-band set with a fish of shining amethyst, while a third synth player appeared in a yellow light, with platinum blonde hair and a very fashionable hat that was set off by a glowing golden tiger pin.

Then the final, pink-hued spotlight highlighted a young man in a white, frilled shirt, an amulet baring a glowing, rose quartz and tourmaline phoenix, a bolo tied around his neck, and he let loose a brilliant sound as all the spotlights turned white.

**"I'm just a-wandering on the face of this earth**

**Meeting so many people**

**Who are trying to be free**

**And while I'm traveling I hear so many words**

**Language barriers broken**

**Now we've found the key**

**And if you want the wind of change**

**To blow about you**

**And you're the only other person to know, don't tell me**

_**I'm just a singer in a rock and roll band.**_

**A thousand pictures can be drawn from one word**

**Only who is the artist**

**We've got to agree**

**A thousand miles can lead so many ways**

**Just to know who is driving**

**What a help it would be**

**So if you want this world of yours**

**To turn about you**

**And you can see exactly what to do**

**Please tell me**

_**I'm just a singer in a rock and roll band.**_

_**How can we understand**_

**Riots by the people for the people**

**Who are only destroying themselves**

**And when you see a frightened**

**Person who is frightened by the**

**People who are**

(_scorching_) **scorching this earth** (_this earth_)

(_scorching_) **scorching this earth** (_this earth_)

_**I'm just a wandering on the face of this earth**_

_**Meeting so many people**_

_**Who are trying to be free**_

**And while I'm traveling I hear so many words**

**Language barriers broken**

**Now we've found the key**

_**And if you want the wind of change**_

_**To blow about you**_

_**And you're the only other person to know, don't tell me**_

_**I'm just a singer in a rock and roll band.**_

_**How can we understand**_

**Riots by the people**_** for the people**_

_**Who are **__**only destroying themselves**_

_**And when you see a frightened**_

_**Person who is frightened by the**_

_**People who are**_

(_scorching_) **scorching this earth **(_this earth_)

(_scorching_) **scorching this earth **(_this earth_)

_**Music is the traveler crossing our world**_

_**Meeting so many people bridging the seas**_

**I'm just a singer in a rock and roll band.**

**I'm just a singer in a rock and roll band.**

_**Music is the traveler crossing our world**_

_**Meeting so many people bridging the seas**_

**I'm just a singer in a rock and roll band.**

_**We're just the singers in a rock and roll band!**_"

The song ended with the synths going wild and the guitarist letting out a strong lead, and they all finished on the same note. The entire crowd let loose a roaring sound of approval.

"Thank you, people of Shindou!" Shouted the brunette lead singer energetically as the crowd of party guests screamed and cheered in excitement. "How's everyone doin'?"

His statement was answered by more cheers as the king and queen bowed to the randomly appearing musicians. The lights went back to normal, and all five musicians swept their hands across their interments, which vanished an a light that was unique in color to their respective player.

"We thank you so very much for attending our child's christening," said King Shindou humbly

At this point, Sakano stepped forward and bowed to the newcomers before turning to the party guests and opening the scroll that had all the names and of the invitees on it, and went to the top of the list to read it off.

"First Magician of the High Order, and Highest of the Musical Magi, Lord Ryuichi of Sakuma;

Second Magician of the High Order, First of the Grand Synthesizer Sorcerers, and husband of Princess Mika of Uesugi, Lord Tohma of Seguchi;

Third Magician of the High Order and Second of the Synthesizer Sorcerers, Lady Noriko of Ukai;

Forth Magician of the High Order and Sovereign of the Guitar, Master Hiroshi of Nakano;

and finally, Fifth Magician of the High Order and Third of the Synthesizer Sorcerers, Master Suguru of Fujisaki.

"We humbly welcome and receive your excellencies in the distinguished house of Shindou."

The guests applauded and bowed as the Musical Magi bowed in return... Well, all except Ryuichi, who gave everybody a V-sign before turning to the king and queen.

"Wouldn't miss it for all-you-can-eat-ramen night!" exclaimed Ryuichi excitedly as he waved around a pink stuffed rabbit with a red bow. "By the way," the singer addressed to the guitarist and green-haired keyboardist behind him and the other two musicians, "You guys did awesome for your first performance!"

The younger musicians bowed in thanks.

"We do thank you for inviting us," said Tohma as he joined his wife.

"In fact," said Noriko with a wink, "We've all decided that we will predict one aspect of your kiddo's future that we ourselves will personally oversee the development of."

"R-really?" stuttered the king, not sure if this was indeed a blessing or a curse-in-blessing's-clothing.

"We are actually quite serious," Tohma smiled in his famous is-he-gonna-kill-me-or-is-he-really-that-happy smile. "Its nothing to worry about, though, rest assured."

"Ooh, I wanna go last, so I can see their faces once we tell them!" squealed Ryuichi.

"Okey, Ryu, you can go last," sighed Noriko. "Hey, Tohma, would you mind if I presented the first one?"

"Fire away, Noriko-San!" Tohma grinned, giving her the thumbs up.

"Right-o!" exclaimed the purple-haired keyboardist as she summoned her double-synth back into existence with a wave opposite of when she made them disappear. "Time for Piko-Piko-Noriko-Chan's Prophecy of Perfection!"

_Coulante, Fleur de Farine_

And with that, she began to play an upbeat little piece. As she played, the fish on her bangle glowed softly while a sparkling purple mist poured out of the speakers like clouds over mountains, and then formed a circle over the heads of all in the room. Once the circle was complete, an image appeared, and a young adult with short but cute pink hair and large, purple eyes. In this scene, the kid was now wearing a blue and white schoolgirl uniform, looking as cute as a button while talking to a tall man with gold hair.

"Wow!" Giggled Noriko, "Looks as if your kid's blessed with good looks and cuteness! I'll be sure to do all I can to make sure that your child will always look their best!"

And thus was the end of her song. The crowed applauded in improvement, amidst the awes and ooohs of how cute the little "princess" was going to be.

"Nice," said Uesugi, nodding his head in approval. "I could see my son marrying someone like that."

"And just think of what the grandchildren would look like!" said King Shindou with glee, imagining the wedding.

_Fee aux Miettes_

"I guess its my turn now" said Tohma, stepping away from Mika to summon his double-synths, and he played his piece. Shimmering gold clouds came out of the speakers and formed a circle over everyone. However, now it was a jumble of scenes. It went from the teen writing something on a piece of paper with a determined look on his face, to him looking desperately for something, to running into the spotlight on the stage again, to grabbing the tall blond male with a teary yet angry expression, to him and a friend beating up two pricks who were harassing a girl, to the kid himself getting beat up by three goons. However, in the last scene, he was talking with two people, and gave a thumbs up and a very determined smile.

"Impressive," Tohma smirked when he ended his song. "While your child will face many trials in his life, he''ll be a kind and brave individual, as well as possess the ability to overcome almost anything with his will alone. I promise you, Your Majesties, that I will make sure to keep that flame and drive of passion alive."

While the King was quietly fantasizing about how his child would become a beautiful super-hero princess, Uesugi was beginning to have doubts about whether it really was a good idea to have his Eiri betrothed to such an unorthodox female. Bravery was not exactly a feminine trait in his mind.

_Canari qui chante_

"If its okey for me to go now," said the green-haired Suguru. Tohma nodded while Ryuichi gave him a V sign as the youngest of the Magi reanimated his keyboard. The shiny emerald mist circulated into the familiar scene of the eighteen-year-old pink-haired puff ball. In this picture, the teen was on a brightly and colorfully lit stage, and seemed to have the adoration of everyone in the court, both old and young, even though the kid still had a goofy yet still eternally-hopeful smile. The youth was still wearing the strange coat, but now everybody could see that under the open coat was a black shirt that, while the collar was like a turtleneck, it was apparently (as far as anyone could guess with the coat) almost sleeveless, and cut off at around the abdomen and shoulders. on the lower half was a set of tight shorts that were the same color as the shirt, and matching boots.

"Looks as if your little one will have quite the charm," Suguru grinned, almost identically to Lord Seguchi, "Throughout your child's life, he'll have the adoration of almost everyone who he comes in contact with, whether it be directly through meeting him, or indirectly through only hearing his name. I promise to do everything in my power to help your child shine as brightly as the brightest star in the sky, if not more so."

"Did you hear that, Uesugi?" King Shindou whispered excitedly to his friend, "Your cousin-in-law just said that he'll make sure that everybody's gonna love my little girl!"

"Nothing wrong with that," Uesugi nodded, "I guess that it will only make the courting process easier for when Eiri reaches the 'cootie' phase." Again, the Priest still had his doubts_, _given that this was one of the few predictions that sounded acceptable for a young woman._  
><em>

_Violente_

"May I?" asked Master Hiro. When the queen nodded, he summoned his guitar and began to play. A sparkling, indigo mist came out of the speakers this time while the wolf on his belt buckle started glowing again. Again, the mist formed a circle over everyone's heads, and the image of the pink-haired purple-eyed youth returned. However, instead of trying to look cute, (although he really did look cute) he was sparing with a long-haired man with a sword. The scene was brief, however, and changed to the teen shooting an arrow while wearing a yellow and orange trench coat with rolled up sleeves and fingerless black gloves. Again the image changed, and now the kid was running faster then possible outside of an anime.

"On top of having good looks," said Hiro, "Your kid's gonna be healthy and physically fit, with lots of energy and little difficulty at sports! I promise to be there to help him stay strong and to keep him out of trouble!"

The song ended and the crowd applauded again.

"But sword-wielding..." muttered Uesugi, "Isn't that a man's sport?"

"Maybe she'll be a bit of a tomboy," King Shindou surmised, shrugging his shoulders. "That can be refreshing at that age, you know."

"Maybe..." Uesugi agreed reluctently, although he always wanted his son marrying a more traditional girl_, _not a tomboy-ish one who did things like swordplay instead of flower-aranging._  
><em>

On top of that, The cloths that the "princess" was wearing in these images had seemed rather inappropriate for a girl... And the chest seemed a bit flat too (not that he cared too terribly much about the cup size of his future daughter-in-law). Still, it looked to Priest Uesugi as if he was looking at a bi or homosexual boy rather then a spunky princess.

"Yeah!" Shindou exclaimed quietly, yet still passionately. "Maybe they'll be best friends growing up, and then when they start going through puberty, my little one will be developing a crush on your boy, but then he'll want to ask their biology teacher to the festival, but my poor little girl will become heart-broken and cry, and when your kid realizes that the goddess he's been looking for is under his nose, he'll rush to her bedroom window, throw pebbles like he used to, then apologize profusely with a romantic poem and then ask her to the festival, and then-"

"Darling," Murmured the queen, who saw her husband whispering to the High Priest, "Before you continue with your conversation, could you PLEASE be so kind as to let the Magi finish presenting their prophecies?"

After receiving another Medusa-like glare from his wife, the King murmured a "Yes, dear," and quietly withdrew into a corner of gloom.

"And now, with out further adu" announced Lord Ryuichi Sakuma, summoning his microphone and stand, "Our unveiling of our latest pupil!"

_Fee des Rose_

Sakuma began vocalizing and humming his tune a capella as sparkly pink mist came from the speakers and circulated into the now familiar image of the pink-haired teen, who was on the stage again. In the youth's hand was a microphone, and even though the only voice that could be heard was Ryuichi's, just by looking one could tell that this person had a powerful voice. Behind him were the outlines that were now recognized as Masters Hiro and Suguru, playing their hearts out in front of the entire court. As the teen sang, a projection of Ryuichi himself walked onto the stage, and him and the youth began singing together.

When Ryuichi ended his song, he gave the crowd a V sign again, and then bowed before the ooohing and awing king and queen.

"It has been decided, by the Order of the Musical Magi," Ryuichi projected for all to hear, "That the newborn Prince of Shindou shall become a member of the Musical Magi! He will have a voice that will rival all others! Maybe even my own! Who knows? But he will have to prove himself like the rest of us did to become an official member, and that's why I'll be there to make sure that he gets the best schooling at rocking!"

The party guests cheered and applauded with delight... Until it hit them.

Prince?

_Coda (a)_

Only the queen, her attendants, and the five Magi continued clapping for a few minutes longer until they realized that everyone was dead silent.

"Oh, hahahahahahahahahaha!" laughed King Shindou nervously as he adjusted his glasses. "You mean _Princess_ of Shindou, right?"

"Honey..."

"I mean, wow! our _daughter_ is gonna be one of the Musical Magi! How cool is that?"

"Honey-!"

"Just imagine, our little _girl_ becoming a Magi like Lady Noriko-!"

"HONEY!" The queen screeched, her voice echoing through the hall as everybody covered their ears. "OUR SHUICHI IS NOT A GIRL!"

"Wha~?" Gasped the king, dumbfounded, "T-that c-c-can't be... We decided we were going to call her 'Maiko,'..."

"Yeah," retorted the queen, "If the baby was a girl! We also said that his name would be Shuichi if he was a boy, _which he is! _Have you been telling everybody that our son was a girl?"

"B-b-b-but the hair! What kind of boy is born with hair that- that's-"

"Then you should have stayed in the room when he was born instead of dancing out like an idiot as soon as his head came out!"

* * *

><p><em>Flashback to the birth<em>

"Just one last push honey!" the king encouraged his wife while loosing the feeling in his fingers from her squeezing his hand.

"That's what you said four pushes ago, you bastard!"

"I'm serious this time! The head's already out! and-"

The shouting between the laboring wife and panicking husband ceased when the loud, powerful crys of their newborn child filled the room. The king saw the midwives and doctor clean of the baby and wrap it in the lavish fuzzy blankly they had ready, and place the infant in the Queen's arms. As said baby continued to cry from being forced out of his nice and comfy womb, the king whooped and cheered as soon as he saw the pink tuft of hair.

"Congratulations, your Majesty," said the Doctor as he wiped sweat off his brow and held out his hand to shake, "It's a-,"

"And what a beautiful baby girl it is!" the king exclaimed as he shook the doc's hand violently. "Captain Winchester! Bring all the servants together! We need to make sure that the palace is ready for the banquet!"

And with that, the king dragged his captain of the guard out of the room with him to prepare for the grand christening party.

"I was actually about to say," said the doc, who was a bit windswept, "That it's a boy."

_End flashback_

* * *

><p>"If you don't believe me, then see for yourself!" his wife snapped as she dragged her husband to the crib and undid the baby's diaper. The baby, feeling the sudden chill, peed right in his father's face, and there was no denying the gender of the child.<p>

"I thought that somebody would have told you already, _before_ you could make an ass of yourself in front of everybody!"

"Shindou..." growled Priest Uesugi, "Are you telling me that you were trying to merry my son to another _male_? In an unholy matrimony where neither could procreate an heir? ARE YOU SAYING YOU WANT MY EIRI TO LIVE IN SIN?"

"And what's wrong with two guys together?" asked Ryuichi, although nobody seemed to have heard him.

"Is this any way to treat your best friend, Shindou?" The Priest yelled, sending a kick towards the king.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I wanted our families to unite!" The king retorted, blocking the kick and aiming a punch at Uesugi's face.

"Well, maybe you should have changed your brat's diaper's before betrothing him off to another man!" Uesugi returned with a roundhouse kick.

"Wait, you tried to get our child _engaged_ to another boy?" the queen screeched. Neither her husband nor Uesugi seemed to have paid any attention to her, as a full on fight broke loose.

"Daddy! Shindou-Sama! KNOCK IT OFF!" Princess Mika screamed.

"Oh, come on now," said a voice as the lights suddenly dimmed again, and three figures in a red spotlight came into view. "I was under the impression that this was a celebration."

* * *

><p>So, what's the verdict? A piece of humorous brilliance in blending the written word with music? Or sheer madness at the attempt to combine Gravitation with a ballet? Or is this really as terrible of an idea as I originally thought it was? I've actually been working on this for some time, but have been hesitant to post this given the fact that, in my opinion, its a far cry from any of my previous works such as Moonlight and Starlight, or Slayers WILL. Well, maybe not that far off, since its still a fantasy. That seems to be my favorite genre. I'm also afraid that, while this is a parody, it may turn a bit more serious as it progresses. At least, that's what my outline of this is telling me. It really is meant to be a funny and amusing story that sort of makes fun of Sleeping Beauty as a story, but I'm beginning to doubt my ability to keep it that way.<p>

Regardless of weather or not I can keep this as a parody or not, though, I hope that you enjoy yourselves as you continue reading (if you continue... this is by far my most self-conscious piece I've ever posted), so I'm really hoping that this is an enjoyable fanfic and not a shade of craziness that I shouldn't have published. Sorry if I sound a bit blue or skeptic in this author's note, I'll try to not be so gloomy in the future.

On the bright side, I'll finally be starting on my Japanese class on Wednesday. However, that also means that I'll probably have less time to write, but, as always, I will try to post more as often as possible.

Thank you so much for reading, and please don't forget to review! :)

Sincerely,

Tsuki-Chan


	4. Act I Pt 2

_**Act I, Pt. 2**_

_**Same Scene**_

_ASK et le Fee des Kumagoro_

In the center of the spotlight was a young man with hair the color of hematite and dark, shrewd eyes. He was actually quite good-looking, but he did have a rather smarmy demeanor that was especially evident when he grinned. His most defining feature, apart from his looks, was the single blood-red glove on his right hand that had a large spider made of rubies sown into it.

There were two other guys behind the gloved man; a short haired, brunette synth player who didn't remove his sunglasses, and a long haired blond guitarist. Neither seemed to be very bright or to have much backbone. The fighting stopped dead as all the attention of the grand hall turned to the newcomers.

"Ermm," grunted the king as he was being held in a headlock by Priest Uesugi. "Welcome to the Kingdom of Shindou, Sir... I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't quite remember-!"

"Honey!" His wife hissed as she muffled her husband with her hands. "What the heck do you mean 'you don't remember'? can't you tell a Musical Magician when you see one!"

"mumm marm mo moum ma mumimmam mamaim merm mawmemeem?"

"Come again?" she whispered as she removed her hands.

"But aren't all of the Musical Magi here already?" he whispered back.

As he and Uesugi straightened themselves up and off of each other, a nerve twitched in the man's eyebrow.

"So your saying that you don't know who I am?" the intruder said through gritted teeth as he tried to maintain his smile. He inhailed deeply, in an apparent attempt to calm himself, and resumed his previous attitude. "That's alright. I can handle someone who hasn't heard of me. It'll be like my debut all over again."

With that, he waved his hand and summoned a microphone and stand. With his other hand, he snapped his fingers, and flames erupted on the left and the right of the musicians.

"We are ASK!" The stranger announced, his voice booming from the speakers. "These are my band mates and apprentices, Ma-kun and Ken-kun," he indicated the blond and brunette, "And I am Lord Taki of Aizawa, the Sixth Magician of the High Order!"

"Hey, Taki!" a sweat-dropping Ryuichi waved, trying to get the intruder's attention. "What brings you all the way here?"

"Funny you should... ASK," Taki replied, snickering to himself at the pun but then returning to his prior composure and, "You see, you and the other guys were _so_ excited about coming to the great Kingdom of Shindou's christening of their new bundle of joy, that I had gotten my hopes up about attending as well once I had completed my tour... only to find that I _didn't _get an invitation."

"Eh?" The Queen and King replied in stereo, slowly turning their heads towards Sakano in a stiff, cheap-animatronic manner

"I-i-is th-this true, S-sakano?" the king asked in a jittery tone.

"Um...Umm..." murmured Sakano as he went down the list, from top to bottom and back again, looking for Taki Aizawa's name. When he reached the top and found nothing that matched, his face turned that sickly gloomy blue as waterfalls came out of his eyes.

"I'm...I'm... I'M SO SORRY, YOUR MAJESTIES!" the man exasperated as he, in SD Chibi Mode, threw himself on the floor at the rulers' feet. "I thought that I had everybody that resided at Mount G-M noted and invited, and when I got there, Lord Sakuma and Lord Seguchi said that everybody was there, so-!"

"Hold on a sec," interrupted the outraged mage, "Are you saying that My Lords Ryuichi of Sakuma and Tohma of Seguchi were the one who neglected to make sure that I was invited?"

* * *

><p><em>Flashback again, this time to right after Queen Shindou went into labor<em>

Sakano stood at the entrance to the Grand Temple at the peak of Mount N-G. He had already spent most of the day roaming form kingdom to kingdom to deliver the invitations to King Shindou's child's christening, and now his buttox was sore from all the carriage riding. He was so thankful that he was good at networking and had a decent number of apprentice pages handling most of the longer-distant nations, so that he could write down all the list of R.S.V.P. guests as he headed through the countries between the land of Shindou and Mount N-G. Now that he was there, he could take care of the last bit of guests-which, on the list of people to be invited, only had the words "Musical Magi, Grand Temple atop Mount N-G, Vally of Sound, 12354" scribbled on there in the King's excited, ubber-rushed handwriting.

"This does look like the place," Sakano said to himself as he double-checked the name and address, then knocked on the ridiculously large double-doors.

"NA NO DA!" came an echoing voice as the humongous doors slowly opened, revealing a massive hallway made entirely of different gemstones. The walls were covered in amethyst, the trim made of topaz, the ceiling of aquamarine and lapis lazuli sparkled with shafts of clear quartz that resembled stars, and pillars of rose quartz and smoothed coral. Mixed in with these precious gems were polished deposits of opal that matched with the over-all color of the surface

The polished floors of marble made Sakano's footsteps echo through the crystalline hallway, until he reached a grand, circular den with a ginormous piece of rainbow moonstone affixed in the ceiling, acting as a light source, and five people lounging on different colored couches and chairs while talking to each other, save for a brunette on a purple bean-bag seat with a red headband who seemed to be having a tea party with his infamous stuffed rabbit, a Godzilla figurine, Sailor Hello Kitty (imagine a hello kitty stuffie as a sailor senshi), and an Astro Boy action figure wearing a Barbie apron.

"Ello, Sakano-Saaaaaaaaaaan!" shouted said brunette, waving his hands in a way to get his attention. The other four people looked to see what their childish leader was waving at, and once they determined that it wasn't another imaginary friend, they smiled and waved as well (although not as enthusiastically).

"Y-you know who I am?" Sakano asked, He had never in his live seen any of the Musical Magi before, and was surprised that they were so young... Yeah, he knew about them being blessed with semi-immortality, but he expected them to be a lot older in appearance.

"Of course we know," said the lilac-haired babe who was painting her nails in a green-upholstered chair. "We figured that you would drop by when the Queen of Shindou would go into labor." With that, she waved her newly-polished hand and materialized a keyboard. She played a single cord, and the rainbow-moonstone dome glowed and displayed a scene of said Queen going into labor while yelling at her husband.

"It's very hard to try to hide things from us, Sakano-San," said the platinum-blond from a red recliner while giving his trademark eerie smile.

"You don't need to scare him, you know," said the green-haired youth who was sitting on a yellow leopard-patterned sofa with the long-haired brunette while holding a playstation controller.

"Ahem," coughed Sakano nervously, feeling like he really _really_ wanted to go back home. "Well, then I guess that means that you are already aware that you are cordially invited to the official Christening of the newborn heir to the Throne of Shindou. May I ask for your names for the guest roster?" he asked, bringing out his quill and RSVP scroll.

"Sure thing, Na No Da!" said Ryuichi happily, "Let's see... There's me, Tohma, Noriko-Chan, and these guys!" He waved his hand over to where Hiro and Fujisaki were on the leopard sofa, who had resumed their game. "And Kuma-Chan!" he held up "Kuma-Chan" so that Sakano could see.

"Let me handle this, Ryu," said Tohma as he got up, headed over to Sakano, and placed an arm over the scribe's shoulder while murmuring to him their proper titles.

"Do you ever get the feeling that you may have forgotten something...?" Noriko asked as the ginormous doors closed after Sakano-San.

**. . .**

"Maybe its a BYOB party?" Hiro asked once he hit a save spot.

"You can't do that at a christening!" Fujisaki interjected, appalled at the idea. "That's like bringing beer to a baby shower!"

"I know! We should bring pocky!" Ryuichi chimed in.

"Really, Ryu? Pocky?" asked Noriko.

"Or maybe something like, _hockey_... Like a hockey set!"

"Nah..." said Hiro, shaking his head.

"What's the discussion again?" Tohma questioned when he rejoined the group.

"Just listing ideas for something we might have forgotten for this party," Fujisaki said with his arms crossed.

"I think that all we need is ourselves, since our gifts are non-corporeal," Tohma replied, giving the group a quizial look.

"Yeah! We said Pocky, rock candy, a hockey set, teriyaki, Yakisoba, taiyaki, and a whole bunch more!" said Ryuichi as he started chewing on his Kuma's ear.

"You didn't say all that-!" Noriko started, shouting at the chibi-fied leader of the group, then Tohma's face turned pale.

"Taki..." said the Second Magician, suffering from a simultaneous sweat-drop/gloom/shock that was almost uncharacteristic of him.

"Ai-aizawa-san...?" Fujisaki stammered, his facial expression almost identical to his cousin's.

Everybody in the room fell silent as realization hit them like a pile of dragon droppings.

**. . . **

"Maybe if we don't tell him about it, he won't find out," suggested Ryuichi, sucking on Kuma-Chan's ear.

And after much thought with very little actual talking, it was mutually agreed that it would be best to not let the touring Spell-Singer find out about the party.

_End flashback_

* * *

><p>"It wasn't so much that you weren't invited," explained Tohma, trying to smooth over this disaster, "It was more of a mere oversight on the guest list. I am quite sure that Their Majesties humbly offer their apologies for offending you like this, and you would be more then welcome to stay if you except their forgiveness-,"<p>

"Except _their_ forgiveness?" Aizawa shouted, outraged beyond Tohma's powers of reasoning, "What about _your_ forgiveness! I have excelled all expectations and qualifications for becoming a proper member of the Musical Magi! I have completed my training to the fullest extent, after receiving my rank, and have completed my tour across the lands, while Masters Nakano and Fukisaki haven't even set foot outside of Mount M-G without you holding their hands! After putting all that effort, all my heart and soul into joining the ranks of the Musical Magi... Am I still just an insignificant whelp to you?"

"No, Taki, we just-!" Noriko tried to plead.

"Shut up!" Aizawa bellowed, causing a great torrent of air to swirl around the hallway as if a giant whirlwind had suddenly manifested inside of the castle. The streamers, banners, and much of the decorations that had been delicately placed were now being buffeted and torn down by said gust, as thunder and lightning boomed outside of the palace walls. The Magi instinctively summoned their interments, in case they had to use their magic to protect the helpless party-goers. Princess Mika griped her husband's hand, while the scholar Kitazawa embraced little Eiri in a protective fashion. Eiri himself clung back, but kept his eyes attentively on Aizawa.

The ruckus held up for a few minutes as the guests trapped inside were either keeping their hands above their heads in case one of the trappings were to fall on them, or watching the fuming sorcerer with terror. Queen Shindou instinctively placed herself over the crib, acting as a shield in case harm were to befall her son, and the baby himself, who couldn't see anything past his mother's gown, started to fret and cry from the scary noises that the whirlwind and thunder was making. Ma-Kun and Ken-Kun remained silent, although Ken-kun seemed to enjoy the crowd's reaction while Ma-Kun gave his "Sensei" an uneasy look.

Finally, after what felt like the eve of Armageddon compressed into a few short minutes, the wind and thunder died down, although the lightning still flashed outside, and the only other sound heard were little Shuichi's echoing cries.

"It's alright," said Aizawa, smiling again as he held up his hands in a half-shrug. "I understand. So I was forgotten about, big whoop. There will be other occations, I imagine. I accept your apologies, King Shindou, Lady Shindou, but I seem to have caused such a fuss," he scanned the now trashed tapestries and decorations, "That my presence here would be... upsetting to the atmosphere."

The Queen only gave Aizawa a threatining glare as she picked up and tried to settle her baby, but her husband and the High Priest Uesugi bowed deeply, both of them fearful of what would happen if Lord Aizawa's anger were to be encouraged.

"But... before I go back," Aizawa added, a wicked grin widening on his face, "I'd like to give the baby a prophacy as well."

"Taki..." said Hiroshi, trying to rush over to Aizawa as a sinking feeling sprang through his gut.

"No!" Fujisaki hissed, stopping his friend in his tracks. "Not here!"

"But-!"

"Let's see what he does," Suguru whispered while casting a glare at the Sixth Magician "He knows our laws."

"Erm... Thank you, Lord Aizawa," said the king, trying to fight his impulses to deny the Song-Wizard's request, "We would be honored to have you bless our child."

"Darling!" his wife whispered, shocked that her husband would allow this psycho-mage an opertunity.

"We don't have a choice!" the king whispered back, and the queen knew too well that he was right.

"Well, then," Aizawa started, summoning his black and red microphone as his cohorts started playing. Like Ryuichi, Taki hummed as shimmering blood-red smoke errupted from the speakers like a volcanic ash-cloud, and swirled into a circle. The image of the eighteen-year-old boy flashed, some of the scenes repeating from the previous predictions.

"He will be hansome, strong, charming, and brave," Aizawa sang, illistrating the future that was being shown to the gathering, "And he may indeed have the power to rival any Magi once he learns how to harness it. Unfortunately, he may not live long enough to fully master it, due to his own weaknesses."

The scenes changed to a dark wood, where the boy was wandering as if lost, and then ran face-first into a taller individual. The scene then moved to the two of them dueling, and then the pink-haired one being defeated. The images kept changing, but revealing the same result of the boy persuing the stranger, only to be rebuked.

"He will find himself missing something from his life, but once he finds it, he'll also find that he cannot have it. This, among other things, will distract him from ever fully mastering the skills required of a Magi."

The vision changed again, this time to a darkened bedroom, with the youth looking over at the sunset through his window, heartbreak etched over every feature as tears ran down his cheeks.

"He will also suffer from bleeding until the day of his manhood," Aizawa continued, his eyes alight with malace. "On that day, the pain in his heart will have swollen to such an extent, that he will no longer have the will needed to live. Having, in his own mind, been rejected time and again by everybody he will have ever cared for. Knowing the absolution of loneliness, he will search that night for a release from this pain; and he will find that realease from the smallest wound possible, when he bleeds to death!"

As Aizawa sang out the last stanza of this terrible proclimation, the croud gasped and the queen's eyes, which were tearing up as Aizawa continued, widened in horror as the now nineteen-year-old version of her son wandered dowb a dark flight of stairs, a door to an unknown room slaming shut behind him, and then opening again to reveal his lifeless body lying in a pool of blood, with a sword at his side.

"And he will die, cold, alone, and unloved," Aizawa said as the red mist disapated. "So if you guys forget me again, or piss me off in any other way, I'll make damn sure that he dies that night!"

"Aizawa, you know that a Musical Magi is forbidden from using their songs to hurt the innocent!" Noriko yelled, unbelieving that someone among their ranks would illistrate such a terrible future.

"He's only a little kid!" Fujisaki joined in, now fighting his own urge (as well as Nakano's) to run over and assault Aizawa. "He hasn't done anything to you!"

"The little rugrat may not have," Aizawa spat, "but a Magi _can_ punish someone who disrespects him if he chooses, and what better way to do that then to punish the child?"

"But to go so far as to kill a child," Tohma said in a quiet, dangerous voice, "That _is_ overstepping the boundries of our laws."

"I haven't _killed_ him," said Aizawa in a mockingly innocent tone, "He's still crying and kicking, isn't he? Besides, if he truely has the potential to become a Magi as powerful Lord Sakuma, then he should be able to overcome this little challange in nineteen years, no sweat."

"Lord Taki of Aizawa," Ryuichi called, his expression sharp and serious, "If you go through with this plan, and suceed in taking Prince Shindou's life, you are aware that you would be going against the First Law, and thus forfiting your rank as Sixth Magician of the High Order. Is this not so?"

Aizawa's smile faltered into a frown, and after a beat, he replied, "Is this little twerp's life really so important to you, my Lord Sakuma, that you would banish me?"

There was silence, during which the two Spell-Singers stared each other down, the tension almost tangible. The only sound to be heard besides the queen's sobs were Baby Shuichi's cries.

Finally, the tension was broken.

"Fine, then," said Ryuichi, closing his eyes and turning his head away from the other Singer.

"What?" gasped the queen, king and other Magi in unison, as the rest of the party guests murmered in likewise shock.

"Ryu, what are you saying?" Tohma wispered, gripping his best friend by the shoulder and making him face him.

"There's nothing I can do, alright?" Ryuichi yelled in frustration, so that everybody could hear his voice. "Even if I were to punish Lord Aizawa, that wouldn't undo the curse he made! Plus, he has the right to be angry, so to take away his right to punish is just as bad as his prophacy!"

Aizawa chuckled lightly, and then the red spotlight appeared over his head, enveloping himself and his cohorts.

"I'm glad that we reached a mutual understanding, My Lord Sakuma-Sama," said Aizawa, still grinning that twisted smile, "If he can beat my little spell in nineteen years, then I'll hold no ill will against the Noble House of Shindou. Until then, Your Majesties, I'll take my leave."

And as he bowed to the Royal Family, the spotlight went out, and the three intruders were nowhere to be seen.

"My Shuichi..." The queen sobbed as she held her crying baby closer to her, "My precious little Shuichi..."

"Your Highnesses," Tohma said, turning towards the two monarchs and bowing deeply, "I apologize for Aizawa's temperment, and for this-,"

"Apologize for Lord Aizawa?" screamed the now hysterical queen. "What about my baby? Why can't you just sing or play something that would counter it?"

"A song can never be unsung," said Tohma hevily, "No Magi or any other Bard has the power to undo another's magic, no matter how powerful he can be."

There was another pause, as the king embraced his wife and child, both of them trying to swallow this hard truth. Ryuichi stood in quiet contimplation while the other Magi remained solomn.

"Actually," said Ryuichi after a beat, "There might be a way to resolve all of this."

"What?" the High Priest Uesugi exclaimed, his previous anger gone completely since Aizawa's arrival.

"So there is a way you can save our son?" King Shindou asked, grasping for any shred of hope.

"I can't, because I have already dedicated my powers to helping your son become a Spell-Singer," explained Ryuichi, bringing out his pink rabbit. "And don't ask me to take back that one; that's already been decided. But Kuma-Chan can help!" as he held up the pink rabbit for all to see, his demenior changed back to its childish chibi state.

"Huh?" the king stammered, trying to understand Ryuichi's statement.

"Everybody, this is Kumagoro, the Seventh Magician of the High Order!" Ryuichi shouted, his infamous stupid grin back in place as he spun around with the toy on his head.

"Uh, Ryu," whispered Noriko, trying to keep the situation from getting worse, "I really don't think Kumagoro can help with this. He can't really-,"

"Of course he can!" Ryuichi grinned, "If I say that he's a Magician, then he is! And that means that he can help us!"

"What is he saying?" the now outraged king hissed to Tohma, who was the nearest Magi to him. "Is Lord Sakuma trying to make a mockery of this calamity?"

"Actually," mermered Tohma, realizing where Ryuichi's thought process was going, "this is the only way to resolve this."

"You can't possibly be serious!"

"I'm quite serious," said Tohma as he watched Ryuichi continue to twirl around with Kumagoro. "Its physically impossible to undo a Song, especially one as potant and of the type that Aizawa-san used. But the Song's effect _can_ be augmented by Adding a Verse. Ryuichi, as a Vocalist, is especially good at this, but since all of us have already given a Song to Prince Shindou, we can't really do that even if we wanted to due to our laws. What Ryuichi did by declaring that his Kumagoro is an official Magi, is create a loophole in that rule; Ryu may be the one that gives Kumagoro any sort of resemblance of will like a puppeteer, but as far as Ryu's concerned, Kuma-Chan's just as real as you or I. And since Ryu's the Lord of the Order of Musical Magi, his word _is_ law."

"So by officially making the plush a Magi..." the queen started.

"We can alter the outcome of the spell so that your son won't die," Tohma said as a smile reapeared on his face.

"Tooohma! Kuma-Chan says that he's going to need your super awesome keybord skills," Ryuichi called as he summoned back his microphone and ajusted its hight for the stuffie, "He's also going to need Noriko-Chan's, Suguru-Kun's, and Hiro-Kun's help as well!"

Tohma gave the royal parents another assuring smile before he went back to his best friend and re-summoned his synths. The other Musical Magicians did likewise, resuming the positions that they entered in. When they all started playing, Ryuichi squeezed Kuma-Chan's belly, and something that sounded like a poorly recorded version of Ryu's own humming sounded into the mic. Multi-colored, glimmering clouds lifted from the mistic speakers and once again formed a circle over the crowd.

The image of the boy going into the mysterious room, the door closing, and re-opening to reveal him lying in blood replayed, but then it changed to show him now lying on a soft bed with pillows, blankets, and something looking like Kumagoro himself surrounding him. In this scene though, his chest raised and fell slightly in rythem, and his face was perfectly relaxed, his closed eyes making him look as if he were to be merely...

"Kuma-Chan says that the Princy will take a nap instead of dying!" Ryuichi explained as Kumagoro continued to "sing," "And once he wakes up, he'll not only have what he'll be missing, but he'll also grow up to be one of the best Magi ever!"

The rainbow mist dissapated as the song ended, and now the pink haired baby that everybody had been singing about all day was sound asleep, the bright colors and soothing sounds of Ryuichi (abait modified from the bad recording) helped him calm down again and drift back to dreamland in his mother's arms.

The audence of party members all clapped and cheered in approval of this change in the baby prince's fate.

"Lord Ryuichi," Suguru said over the appaluse, "That was absolutely engenious of you to use the Kumagoro to act as a proxy for an Added Verse."

Ryuichi only gave the youngest of the Magi a bequizzled look, "What are you talking about, Suguru-Kun? Kuma-Chan was gonna help Baby Princey before Taki showed up."

"Huh?"

"Well, none of the other Magi said that they were gonna help the kiddo with being smart, did they?"

Ryuichi's comment was only answered by Suguru falling over anime-style, unbelieving of his Superior's simultanious insight and stupidity.

* * *

><p>When the feast itself finaly began, everybody was enjoying themselves as if Lord Taki of Aizawa had naver even existed in the first place. The queen was away tucking her son into bed, while the High Priest of Uesugi was busy talking to the King of Shindou, who was the only one not at all releaved by the supposed "Added Verse." The arrival of Lord Taki of Aizawa had made the two forget completely the accidental engagement of their two sons, and now Uesugi was trying his best to cheer up his long-time friend.<p>

"Come on, my friend," Uesugi kept assuring the still-worried king, "If the Magi said that your son would be fine, then he'll be fine. There is no sense in worrying about a future that has not happened yet when you can only live in the present."

"But it's my only son," replied the king, keeping a hand on his temple so as the other nobles and royals dining with him wouldn't see his troubled expression. "The possibility of him being in danger... Not to mention the possibility of Aizawa-Sama threatening my family or kingdom in some other way if his plan fails..."

"And you will deal with that if it should ever happen," Uesugi said firmly, gripping his friend's shoulder. "No man has the power to pervent an unwanted future except through-"

But King Shindou didn't let his friend finish the thought, as it gave him an idea so powerful that it was all that existed.

"Uesugi, you are the wisest person I've ever known!" the king said suddenly, his gloomy, troubled demenor suddenly changing to something that resembled his normal, cheerful state. He rose from his seat at the head of the table, and rushed over to his and Queen Shindou's royal chambers, where said wife of his was still busy singing a lullaby to the now sleeping baby.

* * *

><p>The next day, the king called forth the six Musical Magi (Including Kumagoro), who had stayed the night at the palace. King Shindou and his Queen had discussed his radical idea well after all the guests had left the previous evening, and reached an agreement as to how they would take measures to protect their son. Captain Winchester and Sakano the Scribe were also present, with Sakano sweating up a storm from anxiety, and K casually polishing his precious magnam.<p>

"My wife and I have come to a conclusion, as far as this whole Aizawa-Sama business," said the king to his private audience.

"We can assure you, Your Majasties," said Tohma with a bow, anticipating what the two monarchs were about to tell them, "the Verse that was added will negate the original effects completely. On top of that, with Ryuichi himself teaching Prince Shindou how to harness his powers,-"

"That's actually what we need to talk about," said the Queen, her hand wrapped around her husband's.

"We have decided," said the king with a sigh, "that it would be in Shuichi's best intrest if he doesn't learn magic."

"What?" gasped Noriko, Fujisaki, and Hiro simultaniously. Ryuichi and Tohma remained stoic.

"Your Majasties," Ryuichi started, "If Shuichi-Kun doesn't start his training, then by the time he come's of age, he won't have any deffense against-"

"We are not saying that we do not want you in our son's life," said Queen Shindou, "We do understand that he will have great power in his music. However, should Aizawa-Sama decide that Shuichi is a threat to him, we're afraid that he'll do something else to him once his first spell fades. We feel that if Aizawa-Sama sees Shuichi as just a boy who means him no harm, then he won't go through with his prediction at all."

"We still want you to help our son grow up to be a brave, strong, and noble prince," said the king, "and once his nineteenth birthday has passed, we will be honored to let Lord Ryuichi of Sakuma teach Shuichi the secrets of being a Musical Magi, but until the threat of Aizawa-Sama's curse is gone, we do not want our son to learn anything in regards to music, or the power his will posess."

There was a long pause while the Magi waited for someone amongst them to say something to the monarchs about how stupid their decision was, and then Ryuichi spoke.

"I understand, Your Majesties," he said with a bow.

"Ryuichi!"

"Sakuma-Sama!"

Ryuichi held up a hand to dilence his subordinates.

"I promise, until I have your permition, that I, Ryuichi, will not to teach him anything in regards to Singing," the First Magician proclaimed, his brilliant voice reverberating off of the walls of the grand hallway. "However, I still wish to stay close by in case Lord Aizawa does try anything between now and these next nineteen years."

Ryuichi and the other Magi held their breath as King Shindou and his wife whispered to each other, debating whether or not this compramise was suitable for their child.

"Very well," the king decided once he and his wife had come to a solution, "You and the other Magi may continue to stay at our palace, and may come and go as you please. However, Lord Ryuichi of Sakuma may not interact with Shuichi under any circumstances without the supervision of one of the palace noblemen, knights, or guards. Upon our son's nineteenth birthday, these restrictions will be revoked, and he will be allowed to begin his training."

"Thank you for your generosity and wisedom, Your Majesties," Ryuichi said with another bow.

* * *

><p>"Generosity and wisedom?" Fujisaki protested once the group returned to Ryuichi's guest suite, "More like idiocy, if you ask me!"<p>

"Why the heck did you back down, Ryu?" Noriko demanded, clonking her superior in his cranium and proceeding to noggie him in a not-so-effectionate way. "By not teaching the kid anything, he's gonna be a sitting duck by the time Taki tries to get him!"

"Waaah!" cried Ryuichi, trying to stop Noriko the way a three year old tries to stop their ten-year-old sibling from tormenting him. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't have a choice!"

"It is true," reasoned Tohma as he sipped at a cup of tea he had, "We are offering our services to teach their child, and we can't just impose our will on the parents. They're only trying to protect their son."

"But why are they being so thick-headed about this?" Hiroshi asked Tohma and Ryuichi, who was still trying to innefectivly fend off a pissed-off Noriko.

"Probably a side-effect of the curse," said Tohma after another sip, "Taki did say that there would be other factors perventing him from mastering our techniques besides whatever it'll be that Prince Shindou will be missing. Maybe Ryuichi's guidence is the missing thing itself."

"So what _are_ we going to do?" asked Noriko, having stopped harassing Ryuichi, "If we aren't allowed to teach Shuichi anything-,"

"Actually," said Ryuichi, rubbing the sore spot on his skull Noriko made, "I only promised that _I_ wouldn't teach Shuichi anything regarding Our Ways."

"Meaning..."

"I didn't say anything about anyone else teaching him," he answered with a wink.

"Ryu..."

"Sakuma-Sama..."

"You are most certainly brilliant, Ryuichi," praised Tohma, giving his friend his most sincere smile.

"Still though," said Ryuichi more seriously, "I don't think it would be a good idea for Tohma-kun or Noriko-chan to teach Shuichi. You guys are so powerful and brilliant that you'd be caught on the spot."

"Hmm... I guess that is true," Noriko sighed, thinking about how she would probably teach Shuichi her more glammerous songs.

"We are a bit high-prophile, aren't we?" Tohma mused as he finished his cup.

"But then..." started Noriko

"That would mean..." Tohma realized.

"Bingo!" Ryuichi chimed, returning to his hyper self again.

The eyes of the three older Magicians turned over to Hiroshi and Suguru.

"Wait..." started Hiro.

"You can't possibly be serious," stammered Suguru.

"Well, you guys are closer to his age then we are," said Noriko.

"And you are talented enough to teach him what he needs to defend himself," said Tohma with his more trade-mark smile.

"Plus, you guys are still only Masters, so you could teach him all he needs to know before his nineteenth birthday without too much notice!" Ryuichi chimed. "And if you suceed in teaching him," he added in a more serious note, "You'll be official Magi once this whole curse business is over with."

And thus, it was decided that Master Suguru of Fujisaki and Master Hiroshi of Nakano would be the ones who would secretly teach the Prince the ways of Spell-Singing, and prepare to counter the curse that Lord Taki of Aizawa fortold.

"How the heck do we get dragged into these things?" shouted Suguru to the universe.

* * *

><p>While the other five Magi were debating how they would teach Prince Shindou the ways of the Bard without his parents' knowledge, Lord Taki of Aizawa was taking advantage of their absence from Mount M-G and using the enchanted moonstone to observe them. As soon as Hiroshi of Nakano and Suguru of Fujisaki were decided to become Prince Shuichi's teachers, Aizawa burst out in laughter.<p>

"Oh my God, that kills me," Aizawa managed to say to himself between laughing fits, "They actually believe...(:laugh:)... that the boy will learn...(:snort:) ...enough about our Music...(:chortle:)... to counter _my_ Song...(:laugh:)... from _those_ guys?" Aizawa's laughing echoed through the empty crystaline hallway long after he had stopped.

When he did stop, though, he took serious thought to what this would mean to him.

"So those idiots really do believe that they can beat me by either denying the kid Music or by teaching him secretly..." Taki mused to himself, "For even _thinking_ that they could beat me, or even blieving that this kid might... Sakuma-Sama, you fool. Now I'll _have_ to go through with this."

In truth, Taki never planned on going through with the curse. Heck, he would never have learned about the christening if Ryuichi himself haden't left his invitation among his collection of toys and plushies. When Taki had found it, he had searched the entirity of Mount M-G for his invitation, and had made his cohorts look for it too, only to find that it didn't exist. When the king admitted that he had never heard of Lord Taki of Aizawa, let alone ASK, that had only confermed the Magician's suspecions that he had been forgotten. Having been so tired of constantly overlooked by mortals and his fellow Magi alike, he did the first thing that came to his mind and cursed the pink-haired brat with death.

However, the First Law stated that no Magi will use their Songs to defile or destroy Innocence, and to kill a boy who had done nothing wrong wrong to anybody, especially when said boy was only an infant, was definately that. For the sake of keeping his rank, he was beginning to think that he might have been too harsh, and was kind of greatful to Sakuma for Adding the Verse to alter the spell. After all, this was a _kid's birthday party_ that he was carrying on about not being invited to! Only insane people would really want to kill a kid for not being invited to one.

Unfortunately, Taki was the type to take offense to anything, and despite his logic telling him that it wouldn't be worth his time to trouble himself with cursing a baby almost twenty years from now, the thought of Ryuichi's active interferience was enough to make the Spell-Singer seriously consider going through with this scheme to either make a point to the Shindou family or pervent the child from becomming better then him. After all, he did become a Magi in the first place so that he could surpass any Spell-Singer alive; if Shuichi was going to be better then Lord Sakuma, then Taki would never reach his goal.

In the end, Aizawa decided that he'd just watch the boy from a distance, and see whether or not it really would be a good investment to go through with the curse and try to take his life.

* * *

><p>Yay! Posted another one! I think I'm on a roll now! Ah, Who am I kidding? Like I said, I've been working on this for some time, so I had a good stock of chappies to post when I finally decided to put this here. At this point, I think I'm almost caught up to where I initially left off when I went back to work on Slayers WILL and Moonlight and Starlight. I still have a good amount of story to post, but I've been slowly working out the kinks on these as I upload.<p>

So how is it so far? O for Outstanding? E for Excellent? A for Average? P for Poor? or T for Troll? And while I do welcome flames, I will assume that those who grade me T without providing solid reasoning for why I'd be graded like that are Trolls themselves... or else people who Troll fanfiction for fun.

But pleeeeeeeeeeeeease! I really wanna know you're opinions so that I may make it or my other works better! Please don't leave me hanging! Review! Review! Review!

Again, I hope you enjoy reading this, and thank you for doing so!

Sincerely,

Tsuki-Chan


	5. Act II Pt 1

Ello again! How's this thing so far? Great! Glad to hear it! (if you responded negatively, there's an emphasis on the sarcasm, but its sincere if you responded positively! :P)

So, now that we're getting in to the actual story itself, I should advise that the music of the ballet (which I may stop mentioning if this gets too complicated) is going to jump around a bit. And when I say a bit, I mean A LOT! Reason for that is the fact that the last act of the original ballet, while it has some of the most recognized and awesome music from the entire ballet, is the "wedding scene," which is nothing more then Aurore and her new hubby Prince Desire (Phillip in Disney) watching a bunch of other fairy tale characters and fairies dance right before they do one last Pas des Deux. While I like the ballet more then the disney film, that IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! I would have to commit sepuku if i wrote five or six chapters that was nothing but the other characters doing stuff at Shuichi's party. Plus, I've realized that I've actually drifted away from the movie and ballet quite significantly. So some of the songs that you saw/heard (if you are actually listining to the music that I'm mentioning) may pop up again in future acts/scenes, or else be chopped for certain segments and have said segments re-pasted. It'll be up to you to figure out which segments I'm talking about (which is why I'm considering to ditch this whole music code and just let you use your own imagination/audio selection), but while its still encorperated, you're going to see most of the pieces in this thing mentioned at least twice each, if not rarely will you hear one and have that be the end of it.

**ACT II, Scene 1**

_Le Jardin du Palais du Shindou (pt. 1)_

The sun peered brightly through the curtains of a palace window on a cool, crisp autumn morning. The warm light started off along a wall that had numerous pictures of a pink-haired boy as he grew up, mixed with posters and drawings of Nittle Grasper, the infamous Trio that made up the first Three Magicians of the High Order. As the sun rose higher, the shaft of light it created moved from the wall to a mound of large, fluffy blankets that contrasted with the elegant four-poster bed. On top of said mound was a white, rather scruffy-looking dog that was curled up peacefully until he felt the sunlight over one of his eyes. The dog let out a yawn when he realized that it was morning, stretched out, then moved over to the head of the bed and proceeded to dig through the blankets with his nose until he had reached the pile's core, which he prodded with said cold, wet nose repeatedly.

"Mnnnnnmph," came a low voice from underneath the great blanket mountain as said mountain squirmed. The dog cocked its head to the side as if confused, and then started to lick at whatever was hiding under the warmth and softness of the bedding.

"Knock it off, Shippo..." groaned the blankets as a hand protruded from them and tried to push away the dog. "Just five more minutes, will ya...?"

However, "Shippo" just simply wouldn't let the blanket-monster have those five more minutes, as he really needed to take care of his doggy business. The dog then proceeded to his third tactic by attempting to pull the blankets one at a time; not so hard that they ripped (Shippo knew better then to invoke the wrath of his master's mom), but hard enough to pull them off the bed.

At last, Shippo managed to get to the last layer, which was being clung to tightly by the bed's primary occupant; an eighteen-year-old boy with rosy pink hair, a slim yet athletic figure, and a face that, while quite beautiful, was presently drooling on his pillow as he hugged and cuddled with his blanket.

"You guys ready to rock...?" the boy murmured in his sleep, a goofy grin spreading across his face. Shippo replied by tugging at and pawing the youth's pajamas, then after crawling back onto the bed and inching close to his master's ear, gave a loud, sharp bark that made the boy jump in alarm and caused his top half crash off the edge, right into the pile of blankets the dog had moved.

"Hey!" Shuichi exclaimed while hanging upside down as Shippo jumped back off the bed and proceeded to lick the prince's face. "Alright, alright! I'm awake! I'm awake! I'm awake!"

The boy made a half-summersault off of the bed and proceeded over to the window, where he pulled open his curtains and unlatched his window, letting in a cold yet refreshing breeze.

"Good morning, world!" Shuichi shouted, his large, amethyst eyes bright with the prospect of a new day, his voice carrying on the wind. His room was in one of the taller towers of the castle, which meant that he had one of the best views ever. From his window, he could see the different spires and towers that made up his home, as well as the town below, and the great wall that surrounded the Land of Shindou's capital. Beyond that were the great woods that went on for miles, and off in the distance was Mount M-G... Or at least, that was what Shuichi imagined it was.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the prince's door, and Shippo started barking excitedly, while Shuichi hastily put on a fuzzy bath robe.

"Onii-Chan, why are you awake so early?" came a female voice from behind the door, "It's Sunday, for God's sake!"

"Sorry about that, Maiko," Shuichi laughed with a sweat-drop, rubbing the back of his head nervously. Shippo let out a whimper indicating his need to go outside.

"Okay boy, I understand," said the prince as he opened the door, Shippo bounding out and nearly knocking over the light brunette girl who was standing outside Shuichi's room.

"Sorry, Maiko," Shuichi said again as said girl tried to regain her balance, "I think Shippo really wanted to use the bathroom."

"Yeah, and I really wanted to sleep in!" said Maiko with a slight growl in her voice, "Why couldn't you have gotten a cat instead? All they need is a sand box!"

"Come on, sis," said Shuichi, waving his hand while he and Maiko proceeded down the spiral stair case, "You were the one who convinced Mom to let us keep him."

"That was because you were the one who begged me to," Maiko pointed out.

"Besides," Shu pointed out, "Mom would never let us have a cat, remember? The whole claw thing?"

It had been three years after Shuichi's birth when the King and Queen of Shindou were blessed with yet another child, who the king had made sure was a girl before inviting everybody and double-checking that everybody truly was invited. Maiko's Christening went much more smoothly then her older brother's, save for said brother crawling up on the table and falling into the cake.

The next fifteen years had flown by quickly for the Kingdom of Shindou, with the only change being that the king had made a ban on any sharp objects in the castle. Every sharp corner of tables, dressers, and counters had been smoothed into being round, while food was pre-cut and served with chopsticks instead of forks and knives.

"Yeah, I know," Maiko sighed. She really wanted a cat. "Why did you have to be born with that problem?"

"It's not my fault, you know!" said Shuichi gloomily.

"So what are your plans for today?" Maiko asked, changing the subject.

"Ah, the usual," Shuichi replied as his smile returned to his face. "Spar with Hiro, play with Shippo for a bit, work on my homework,-"

"You're gonna run off and Sing again, aren't you?" Maiko said, a sly look on her face.

"Y-y-you're not gonna tell mom, are you?" Shuichi stuttered, backing up against the wall in SD form.

Maiko sighed again. "What kind of little sister would I be if I were to tell on you?"

"The mean kind," Shuichi said with the tone of a five-year-old. "I still haven't forgotten the _first_ time you tattled!"

"Oh come on, that was what, ten years ago?"

"Mom almost killed me!"

"I didn't know that she hated it when you sang!" Maiko shot back, now also in chibi-mode. "I was only five!"

"That was still mean!"

"Oh God, you hold grudges!"

For a beat, they were quiet as they both fumed at the other, until they had finished descending the stairs and proceeded down the hallway to yet another flight.

'I still don't understand it, though," murmured Maiko, breaking the silence. She hated conversations ending on a bad note. "I've always thought that you were an awesome singer. You shouldn't have to run away just to go and sing with Hiro and that Fujisaki guy."

"Yeah, it is crazy," Shuichi sighed. "And it's not just her. Even K-"

"Good Morning, Prince Shuichi!" came a distinctly American voice in English from around the corner as a bullet came flying passed said prince's face. A couple more shots were heard, this time fired at Shuichi's and Princess Maiko's feet, and then a roaring laughter that was joined by the sound of a changing cartage.

"Captain Winchester!" screamed Maiko, who hated explosions (save for fireworks), "What the heck are you thinking?"

"Sorry, your highness," said K casually as he cocked his magnum again, "Was on my way to tell Shuichi-Ojii-Sama that he woke up the castle again."

"I'm sorry K-san, but it's such a pretty day today!" Shuichi tried to explain.

"Not pretty enough for you to try to run again I hope," K grinned as he placed the barrel of the gun at Shuichi's temple.

"W-w-who, m-me?" Shuichi stuttered nervously.

"You know very well what the Queen said about running off without my say-so," K smiled, waving the gun in Shuichi's face. "I'm telling you, no funny business today, got it?"

"Ehh... s-sure thing, K-san," the prince stuttered as he inched away from the gun-happy maniac, then bolted down to the dining hall in a flash, leaving clouds of dust in his wake, with Maiko close behind.

Once the coast was clear of K, both prince and princess stopped short of the dining hall to catch their breath.

"Damn it, is he getting better at the sneak attacks or something?" Shuichi gasped in a loud whisper.

"I guess you should be more careful today then," Maiko answered in an equally gasping, whisper-like tone. "By the way, don't forget that Prince Tatsuha is coming over today."

"Really? Today?" Shuichi panted, becoming more energized at the idea of seeing one of his best friends again, "Sweet! I guess that means that I'll have to keep practice short today, huh?" and he gave Maiko his trademark goofy smile before continuing on to breakfast.

Scene 2

_Argant_

"EEEEEEEK! KYAAAAA! CAPTAIN WINCHESTER! SAVE ME!"

That was his cue. It wasn't often that Maiko would go out of her way to provide cover for Shuichi while he made a daring escape attempt, but today she felt that it wouldn't hurt to take part in his rebellion against their mom's ridiculous notions on his singing. She had a terrible fear of spiders, and was presently saying that there was one underneath her dresser terrorizing her and in need of death (which was a lie, since she would run to Shuichi and beg him to set it free if she actually saw one).

As soon as Shuichi heard K's running footsteps and the infamous cocking of his gun, he changed into a simple white tunic, put on some simple green trousers, a pair of simple leather boots (plus 3 to speed) and simple leather gloves, and added a leather vest for style. All of these working-class clothes were courtesy of his previous excursions, and were kept hidden from the Royal Parents in his trunk of cosplay (a hobby his parents couldn't understand, but figured was harmless). At the bottom of said trunk (where the peasant cloths were usually buried) was a wooden practice long sword with a metal handle and cross-guard, as well as a long bow with a quiver full of arrows, and a great length of rope that was coiled (Courtesy of Hiro). After fastening the sword to his belt, slinging the bow and quiver over his shoulder, and adding a hooded cloak to hide his profile, the prince took the length of rope, tied it to the side of the window, and then...

(5 minutes later)

_Diamant_

"I'm sorry your highness, but I didn't find anything!"

"Of course you wouldn't! You practically blew my dresser to smithereens!"

"Hey, if there really was a spider under there, there's _no way_ it could have survived... WHAAAAAAT?"

After Captain K had demolished Princess Maiko's dresser in his attempts to look for an imaginary spider, said captain remembered that his duty was to keep an eye on Prince Shuichi. Maiko had followed him all the way to Shuichi's room, only to find the door ajar, with a very visible rope tied and hanging out of the window.

"SHUICHI-OJI-SAAMAAAA!" K roared as he started blasting everything in the bedroom (with fake rubber bullets, mind, since he was not allowed to shoot the prince). While the now outraged K was inspecting the rope and cursing at how he could have gotten away, Maiko placed a hand behind her back and gave a peace sign. A cloaked figure moved from the shadows and went past her, whispering "Thanks, sis!" as he did so. 

"You owe me a new dresser, now!" she hissed back to her brother as he quickly descended the stairway.

Upon reaching the end of the stairs, Shuichi went down a hallway opposite of where the dining hall was, down another flight of stairs, across the Great Ballroom, and then than pushed aside a statue of a dragon. This revealed his favorite secret passage way, which, if you turned left at the first two forks, then a right, and down the middle one, lead out to the royal gardens (He would have never had figured it out without Hiro's and Maiko's help). From the gardens, it was a matter of climbing the trees lining the wall that separated the palace from the city itself, and once he was past that wall, no one could stop him from his trek in the woods today.

"This is too perfect!" Shuichi squealed to himself as he started to "sneak, sneak, sneak" through the rose hedges, when he heard the infamous sound of gunfire and witnessed a nearby bud get shot off.

"GUARDS! GUARDS! STOP THAT SUSPECIOUS PERSON!" K bellowed from Shuichi's room. Unfortunately, while his disguise did work to hide his princely features (most notably his hair), the dark blue-ness of the cloak contrasted greatly against the pinks, reds, whites, and greens of the roses he was tiptoeing through. It didn't really help his odds either that he was sneaking in the famous cartoon style that made his efforts obvious. Like the Musical Magi had forgotten to help with, Shuichi was not the brightest crayon in the box (intellectually speaking).

As Shuichi turned around, feeling oh too well what was already there, he saw several armed men and women with full plate armor coming straight at him. Immediately, our hero started booking it, running towards the trees that lined the Inner Wall. Anticipating this, a squad of soldiers came from up ahead and stood in front of them, blocking the prince's path. Seeing this, Shuichi started running faster, his desire to get out burning in his eyes, and gave a great yell as he leaped into the air SD epic style, the sun adding to the effect.

"What the-?" one guard gasped, before Shuichi's boot made contact with the man's helmet. With the guard being used as a spring board (said guard face-planting into about an inch of earth) and the help of a sturdy tree branch acting as a bar to swing off of, the boy was able to make it over the wall by gracefully hurdling over it with one hand, thanks to Hiro's proclamation of his strength and agility.

However, Shuichi forgot about the twenty-foot drop on the other side (The castle was raised above the town for the purpose of making it difficult for intruders to scale), and was only still alive and in one piece thanks to a just-so-perfectly-placed haystack (courtesy of the feed store it belonged to). Popping his head out, he spat out some hay that he caught in his mouth, and proceeded to run through the town to the Outer Gates, flashing a peace sign at the wall and castle before disappearing into the crowd.

Scene 3

_Adagio II (pt. 1)_

Just beyond the Outer Gates and surrounding moat, leaning on a tree that marked the entrance into the surrounding forest, a cloaked figure in a loose pirate-style blouse, slacks, and boots was waiting patiently until he noticed our prince as he bounded towards him, Shuichi's hood falling off as he did so.

"Hey, Shuichi, what took you so long?" The guy asked, turning towards Shuichi and removing his own hood, revealing his long dark hair.

"Yahoo!" Shuichi cried in excitement as he continued to run to Hiro, his closest friend and fellow musician. The boy stopped short of crashing into Hiro and leaned forward to catch his breath, huffing and panting while bracing his hands against his knees.

"So I take it that you were almost caught again?" Hiro asked, his irritation somewhat obvious. Shuichi took a couple more breaths before holding up a V-sign while giving his trademark grin.

"At least almost is better than being caught!" he panted with a wink.

"You just don't understand, do you?" Hiro sighed as he placed an arm around the smaller man's shoulders.

"Is he here _yet_?" came another male voice as a green-haired boy even shorter then Shuichi came out from around a tree in a robin-hoody tunic with his arms crossed and a slight scowl of impatience.

"Hey, Fujisaki!" Shuichi waved as he and Hiro made their way to him. All three then made their usual trek into the forest, far from eyes and ears of everyone who lived in the Kingdom of Shindou.

"Don't 'hey, Fujisaki' me, Shindou-Sama!" lectured Fujisaki, "The Winter Festival is only two months away, and aside from having to sneak out and practice in secret, we also have to deal with you being late _or _getting caught. On top of that, when we do practice, all that you want to do is sing Nittle Grasper songs! And while there's normally nothing wrong with that, is a big problem when trying to make it as Bards ourselves... _are you even listening to me, Shindou-Sama?_" Fujisaki shouted in outrage as Shuichi continued to spin and sparkle with the excitement and passion around the forest.

"Forget it," sighed Hiro as he patted a twitching Fujisaki. "We both know how he is when he's like this."

That was definitely true; like it had been arranged nearly nineteen years ago, Masters Hiroshi of Nakano and Suguru of Fujisaki had done all that they could to protect and develop Shuichi's talents away from the prying eyes of the Royal family, on top of nurturing the gifts they gave him.

The other three Magi had also kept to their word in helping Shuichi become all that he was gifted to be. Noriko of Ukai had taught him everything he needed to know about style and looking great (She was the major consultant when it came to Shuichi's wardrobe, save for the cosplay), while Tohma of Seguchi stayed in the palace and gave the prince nothing but encouragement and support; most notably when telling him where all the secret passages were (by telling him _not_ to go through them).

Ryuichi in turn did his part by going on tour again with Noriko and Tohma (when the other two were able to) as Nittle Grasper, the group's name before they became the Order of the Magi. Through performing miracles again via concerts, they managed to make sure that their music was heard everywhere, especially by Shuichi. Prince Shuichi himself, from the moment he first heard Nittle Grasper's songs, knew what he wished to do with his life; he was born to make Music.

The boy just never realized the full power his voice had.

"Come on, everybody!" Shuichi shouted once they came upon their special spot. "Let's get ready to rock!"

Their designated practice space was a clearing that made a perfect ring. The trees were tall and thick in the surrounding area, providing good acoustics and cover from those who dared come from Shindou's capital. In the center of the clearing was a ten-meter wide, flat stone that was slightly raised and flanked by a ring of white mushrooms. On top of the stone was a perfectly prepped and propped microphone with sand, guitar, and keyboard, all hooked up to portable speakers. Beyond the toadstool ring was lush grass carpeting the ground, and several rabbits munching on said grass as they prepared for the winter frost that was due any day now.

With no more wonderment then the first time he came upon the clearing, Shuichi marched right up to the mike, Hiro and Fujisaki fallowing close behind. The rabbits didn't budge an inch from their meal, as they were now quite used to the trio coming in and out of their clearing.

After turning on, tuning, and adjusting their interments as was needed, Shuichi turned to Fujisaki and gave the younger boy a look that pissed him off to no end

"Say, do you think that we could warm up a bit with a quick Grasper tune?" Shuichi smiled.

"How did I know this was coming..." Fujisaki growled, trying hard not to punch his keyboard into the ground.

"Aw, come on, Suguru," said Hiro as he started strumming the intro of Shuichi's favorite Grasper song, "It's not like he's not learning anything from singing them."

"Well, he isn't learning how to make his own songs by mimicry," Suguru huffed in an undertone as he started his part. "It's not just preparation for this festival. If he doesn't get his act together and start writing some lyrics or something, he's never going to be ready by the time he comes of age! He doesn't even have an Implament, and can't so much as Summon a mic! Oh, and in case you forgot, _we_ won't receive the title of Lord, either! Not with his current level!"

"Stop worrying about your rank," Hiro laughed, even though he was as serious as Suguru was, "He'll have at least one song ready by then."

Despite the heated conversation about things he wasn't fully aware of, Shuichi himself couldn't hear his friends' dialogue at all; he was already in his zone, and as soon as he heard the intro end, he released his full power.

"**oku de me o hikarasete mezameru monotachi matte iru**

**yoru no jouheki sasowarete utsurisumu mure no nukegara ni..."**

As he sang, a warm breeze swirled around the three musicians, sparkling with tones of green, indigo, and blue. Then, the lights and warmth rushed through the clearing, and with every note struck, a wild flower grew instantly where a blue light landed until the land was carpeted with budding vegitation.

"**umarekawareru anata yo hitori hohoemanaide hitomi o irodoru**

**nozonda sekai ga totsuzen hai ni natte mo kiseki ni mada meguriaeru!"**

For a couple of hours, just as Suguru predicted, the group played nothing but songs that were written by Nittle Grasper, each time creating noticeable changes to their environment. First it became Spring again, then the petals of the newly grown flowers detatched from their floral axis, and then changed into a swarm of butterflies by the next song. All the while, Shuichi was dazzalled by what his Singing was able to do, even though it was still nothing compaired to what the original Lyricists (Nittle Grasper) was capable of doing with the same Song.

When Hiro noticed the sun go lower in the sky, he removed his guitar strap from his shoulders and turned to the prince.

"Hey, Shuichi," Hiro started, "Shouldn't we be heading over to the castle?"

"Oh yeah!" Shuichi realized, having lost track of all time. "I was told that Tatsuha was coming over!"

"Well then, we'd better hurry up," smiled Hiro as he lead Shuichi out of the clearing, Suguru fallowing close behind.

For a short while, they traveled in silence, save for Shuichi's humming. Then Suguru made one last attempt to find out about Shuichi's progress.

"So, have you even _started_ on the lyrics, Shindou-Sama?"

"How many times do I have to tell you," asked Shuichi, "You can call me Shuichi, or just Shindou, or something. When I'm out here, I don't want to think about being a prince or anything like that!"

"Erm..." Suguru coughed, still not used to Shuichi's lack of formalities, "That doesn't really answer my question."

"How about this," said Shuichi, stopping in front of Fujisaki and holding his finger close to his face, "I know that my mom's a stickler about formalities, but if you can at least call me 'Shindou-San' when we're out here, then I'll show you my lyrics. Is that a good compromise?"

"You've got them?" asked Fujisaki, surprised that Shuichi had even started on them.

"Not unless you can say my name," said Shuichi slyly.

"Oh...Grr... Fine! Could I please see the lyrics... Shindou...San?" said Fujisaki through gritted teeth, finding the whole deal ridiculous.

"Right here," Shuichi grinned, holding out a sheet of paper with several lines written on it.

"Sweet," said Hiro, reading them over Suguru's shoulder while the smaller youth scanned every line of Shuichi's handwriting.

"It's not complete, though," Shuichi said as Fujisaki handed the lyrics back to their writer, "I think I made good progress, though."

"What do you mean, 'not complete'?" asked Fujisaki. "I could arrange something with this in no time!"

"Hey, if Shuichi says they're not finished, then they're not finished," said Hiro simply, "How about you run along ahead, we'll meet you back in the castle."

"Ah, so it's your turn to 'catch' him today?" Fujisaki asked with a sigh.

"He needs to work on his blocking, and he's not going to practice while writing lines for K-San or cleaning stables."

"Alright, meet you both later," said Suguru as he started jogging towards the Kingdom of Shindou.

Because of Shuichi's frequent excursions from the palace, the Queen in particular had decreed that whoever was able to find Shuichi first and return him would be the one allowed to "punish" the boy. If Suguru brought him in, he would have Shuichi clean the stables as a means of learning perseverance, while Hiro would have Shuichi work on his swordsmanship, athletics and archery. Tohma and Noriko had their own punishments, but if K or any of his soldiers managed to bring in the runaway-prince, Shuichi would find himself doing his homework with K's magnum at his temple... easily his least favorite activity when being "grounded."

"Hey, thanks for catching me today," said Shuichi as he and Hiro continued their trek through the wood.

"Not a problem, man," smiled Hiro as he ruffled Shuichi's hair. "So is the pressure getting to you or something?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your lyrics," Hiro replied, "It's not like they're bad or anything, but I can tell that your forcing it a bit."

"Is it that obvious?" Shuichi sighed, placing his hands behind his head and looking up through the trees. "Fujisaki's right, we _only_ have two more months until the Winter Festival, and I haven't seen any sign of me doing anything that would resemble a real 'miracle' unless I'm singing someone else's songs."

"Have you thought of maybe letting Suguru arange what you have, then practice it while we're out here?" Hiro proposed. "It'd at least let you see what your current lyrics are capable of."

"Nah, I have to have these done before I can even think about singing them. Otherwise it wouldn't feel right."

"Is that what you're worried about?" said Hiro with a slight laugh at his friend's obliviousness.

"Well, yeah. I want to be one of the Musical Magi, like Ryuichi Sakuma. That's what we all want, right? Isn't that why you, me, and Fujisaki formed Bad Luck?"

It was now Hiro's turn to sigh and look at the sky. While they never exactly tried to _hide_ their ages from Shuichi, the boy never knew that Hiro or Fujisaki were official members of the Order of the Musical Magim and grew up failing to realize that his two band mates never aged at all (as the Magi were blessed with semi-immortality and eternal youth once they become initiated). In Shuichi's mind, they were always there for him as his best friends, since they played, sang, and worked together all the time.

Fujisaki had taken the position of Shuichi's Horse-riding instructer, while Hiro was the prince's personal trainer for all things involving weaponry and athletics. After the last eighteen years had passed, they were anticipating the day when they could finally tell him who they really were (Not that the prince ever asked them about their background). However, as Hiro had gotten closer to Shuichi, it bothered him more and more every time the subject of their "future" came up. '_But the lie will end soon_,' Hiroshi thought as he turned back to his pink-haired friend and smiled.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Hiro finally replied. "You really do have a powerful voice; everyone who hears it will be able to vouch for it. Just be true to yourself and don't let things like deadlines get to you. Like you said, we still have that two months to work on this and smooth things out."

"Yeah," Shuichi thought aloud, "Maybe your right."

"Have you thought about maybe getting a girlfriend or something?"

"What?" shouted Shuichi in chibi-mode, surprised by the sudden change in topic.

"Well, you will be coming of age soon," Hiro reasoned, "and you know that your folks are going to want you to get with some princess or something."

"But I'm supposed to be working on my songs!" cried the prince. "Besides, they've already given up on the prospect of me taking the throne, thank God. I don't really need to be looking for a wife if I'm not going to be king, do I?"

"I'm not saying that you should be looking for a wife. That's your own decision that you should make in your own time," Hiro said matter-of-factly, "I'm just saying, you know, that you might need a bit of inspiration or something."

"No, you're just saying that it's about time that I get laid or something," Shuichi retorted with a grin, giving his Hiro a friendly punch as a breeze picked up.

"That's your own decision too," Hiro returned, giving Shuichi a light noogie.

"You know," mused Shuichi as he stared at his lyrics, "Maybe a girlfriend or something wouldn't be such a bad idea… Hey!"

The lyrics that Shuichi was holding had slipped from his hands and were now being carried by the breeze that had turned into a gust of wind.

"Wait here for me!" Shuichi called out absent-mindedly as he started chasing after his precious lyrics.

"Huh? Shuichi!" Hiro called out, but the boy had already disappeared into the woods.

Scene 4

_Pas d'Action: Rose Adagio (Pt 1)_

Shuichi chased the fluttering piece of paper for quite a while, jumping over logs and rocks and stepping through streams, ignoring the fact that he was approaching a deeper part of the forest that he had never been to before. He didn't stop his at all until something sparkly caught his eye.

Shuichi had reached another clearing, somewhat smaller than the one that he and his friends used for practice as far as landmass goes, but it was much wider as far as skyscape went due to the large lake that he was standing at the shore of. The water was crystal blue, and danced with all the shimmering colors of the sunset above. As the many fractions of light shimmered on the water's surface, Shuichi couldn't help but stare in awe at its beauty, taking in the fluttering and chirping sounds of the birds singing their good evenings, the splashing of the lakeshore against the land, and the Technicolor Dreamcast of the sun on the clouds as the sky itself started deepening from gold to rose to royal blue.

Once the sun had finally cast its dying rays on the sky, the water began to glitter with the silvery light of the moon, and the sight of some large clouds rolling in from the South, Shuichi was jarred out of his wonderment by the realization of why he came to the place initially… and then his awareness he didn't know the way back home.

"Oh shit…" Shuichi cursed as he realized the time and the level of his predicament. He looked around at his surroundings, but other than the lake and the trees, the only other thing that worked as a landmark was a cave that was at the opposite end of the clearing. From the mouth of the cave, Shuichi could see the warm light of a campfire (or something of a similar nature) flickering. Hoping that maybe its occupent knew how to get to the land of Shindou from here, Shuichi headed towards the cave's enterance.

"Hello?" Shuichi called out, his voice echoing of the stone walls and through the trees, and startling several birds from their homes. "Hey! Is there anybody in there? Could you help me, please?"

"Just shut the hell up. Are you some kind of idiot or something?"

The speaker came, not from the cave, but from the trees and brush that made up the rest of the forest. Startled, Shuichi whirled around, instinctivly placing his hand on the hilt of his sword in case things got nasty. However, when the prince saw the stranger, he felt himself become paralized.

"Tatsuha?" Shuichi gasped quietly, not sure if he was right or not.

The man actually did look alot like Prince Tatsuha of Uesugi. For one, the stranger was the same hight as Tatsuha, and had the same hair cut. He also had a very similar voice, abait somewhat deeper and much more abrasive then any tone Shuichi had ever heard Tatsuha ever use. On top of that, he was dressed in a dark leather vest that went halfway down his calves, a white billowy shirt that protruded from the folds of the vest, two belts that overlaped over the vest, tight leather pants, leather boots that buckled, and two swords, one attatched to each belt. He also wore a cloak, but unlike Shuichi's, it was fastened to his shoulders by a set of large ornate clips. Every time Shuichi had seen Tatsuha, (when not in a set of slacks and a nice shirt) he was always dressed in the full garb that was traditional of Uesugi's monks.

But the greatest contrast between Tastuha and this guy was that Tatsuha's hair and eyes were raven-black, while the stranger's hair was pure gold, and his eyes were somewhere caught between saphires and melted amber.

And right now, those strikingly beautiful eyes were glaring daggers at Shuichi.

"I don't really know what kind of slum you grew up in, but in most places, its rude to go into a person's home without asking. Also, my name isn't 'Tatsuha,' since you apparently can't even ask for a name like a normal person."

"Oh," stammered Shuichi, snapping out of his bedazzelment. "I'm sorry. I was looking for something of mine when I got here, and I'm now trying to get back to the capital of Shindou."

"Just keep going North until you either smack into a tree or accidently drown in the moat that surounds the city," said the man. "you'll get there eventually if you don't get your ass killed by somthing." He then turned his attention to the sheet of paper he was holding and proceeded to read what was on it.

The fridgedness of the man, gorgeous as he was, was starting to make Shuichi feel unwelcome. The ominous cloud on the horizon didn't make him any more comfortable, so he decided to take his leave.

"T-thanks."

"Don't mention it," the guy replied, turning back to a piece of paper he was reading. "Really, don;t."

Shuichi gave the man one last glance before turning around, but then recognized the stranger's paper.

"Hey! That's the thing I was looking for!"

"What, this?" said the stranger, glancing back up at Shuichi. "Did you write it?"

"Well, its not done yet or anything..." answered Shuichi, feeling somewhat emberrassed and vulnerable.

"Is this supposed to be a love song or something?"

"Well-,"

"A seven-year-old kid can write better then this crap," the blond said icely as he released the paper to flutter as it pleased. "You've got zero talent, alright? Just quit and learn something useful, if your even capable of learning."

And with that, the man turned his back to Shuichi, revealing a leather carving of a six-figured crystalined structure with a pair of feathered wings flanking it. But Shuichi could only get a glimps of it as the man vanished back into his cave. For a while Shuichi felt his whole world come to a standstill He stood imobilized, and then fell to his knees right as the realization of the man's words washed over him.

"DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE SO HARSH, YOU ASSHOLE?"


	6. Act II Pt 2

**Act I, Scene 5**

(different part of the woods)

_Chaperon Bleu et le Guardes_

"Oh, I can't even believe that jerk!" Shuichi fumed as he made his way through the woodlands, fallowing the stranger's directions reluctantly (mostly because he didn't have anything else to go off of). "I haven't done _anything_ to him, yet he thinks he can just insult my lyrics and get away with it as he waltzes right back into his stupid cave! ARUGH!" he exclaimed when he realized that the stranger had done just that.

"Hey! I think I heard something over there!" came a voice that Shu realized with a cold sweat-drop to be one of the palace guards that always patrolled around his favorite escape routes.

"Well, go ahead and look into it, then!" came a stern female who Shuichi also recognized as a palace guard. Yeah, he was out later then expected, but he didn't expect that the whole palace would be trying to find him this far away from the capital; and the more he listened, the surer he was that the _entire _Shindou army was in the forest looking for him. He was in for serious trouble now.

The prince quickly shoved his lyrics in his pocket and replaced his hood as he contemplated his chances of escape. If he went left or right, he was sure to be found by one of the guards. Going back wasn't a good option either... he'd even get more lost and never make it home again, or run into that blond meanie again. But if he couldn't go left, right, back, or forward, then there was only one way he could go...

"I swear to god, I heard His Highness yelling something from right here!"

"Oh reeeaally?" asked the female guard, decking the other upside the head. "Do you see a prince here? I don't!"

"But I know that I-!"

"How about, instead of chasing after forest sounds that you _think_ sounds like His Highness, you actually _look_ for him!"

"Come on, now," sighed an older guard, "Lets just keep looking. He's bound to be somewhere in this place if no one finds him in the town..."

and with that, the three guards reluctantly continued their search.

As soon as they left the tree Shuichi was under, the leaves of said tree started shaking with laughter.

"I can't believe that it actually worked!" laughed Shuichi quietly as he gracefully flipped out of the tree branches he was hiding in. In his zeal, he took off running, making sure that no one was fallowing him randomly.

"Now," the prince said to himself, "it should be just a hop, skip, and jump until I make it to-GYA!"

Shuichi, by looking backward instead of forward, had ran smack into another tree.

"Oh? So there you are, Shuichi-Oji-Sama," said K casually, who was standing next to the tree Shuichi had run into.

"I...ietai..." was all the slightly brain-damaged teen was able to respond with as his eyes swirled around in a daze.

"Hey guys, we found him!" the captain called out, firing a shot into the air to signal his location.

* * *

><p><span>Scene 6<span>

_Le Jardardin de Shindou, Pt. 2_

Rain was pounding against the windowpanes and walls of the palace as if the weather was trying to seize the castle. Shuichi, K, and many other knights were still sopping wet when they were summoned to an audience before Shindou's monarchs. And as expected, the queen in particular was _very_ upset with how the day transpired. So upset, in fact, that she didn't even take notice as to how badly Shu might need a towel before being brought into the throne room.

"And on top of that, you were found in the _forest_, of all places! Several miles away from the Outer Wall!" screeched the queen, her voice almost horse now from yelling for almost an hour. "Now what do you have to say for yourself?"

Shuichi was trying not to entice his mother's wrath any more then it was, but he knew that there wasn't really anything he could say that wouldn't push it further; with marriage weighing heavily on her mind, Queen Shindou wanted everything to be perfect on days when the Uesugi family would visit.

For ever since Maiko was born, the households of Shindou and Uesugi had been making arrangements for her to marry the youngest of the Uesugi family, Tatsuha. It was common knowledge that Tatsuha's mother predicted that he would end up marrying a much older man, which was against High Priest Uesugi's decrees. So, in an effort to prevent this terrible fate (and to make up for Shuichi's accidental engagement to Uesugi's eldest son), it was decided that Maiko would merry Tatsuha once Tatsuha had reached the age of adulthood, and Maiko had finished with her studies. Thus when Tatsuha and his family came over, even though it usually meant Shuichi, Maiko, and Tatsuha hanging out for weeks at a time, it was all business for the royal parents, and the slightest slip-up in formalities or provisions were enough to send Queen Shindou's blood pressure through the roof.

The throne room sufficed as a functioning as a make-shift courtroom, where the Queen was the judge, jury, and prosecutor for Shuichi's crime of running away. The king just sat back, reading an important document that required his signature, while he let his wife do the "disciplining." Maiko was watching the whole scene play out through a key hole while she and Tatsuha, who had arrived with his father and sister earlier that day, stood outside of the closed doorway with Hiro and Suguru. All three males had their ears pressed against the door to listen in on what punishment would await Shuichi. K stood on the other side of the while the lecturing continued, to keep both an escape route blocked in case Shuichi were to make a break for it (because he always expected the boy to do that at any given opportunity), and keep the eves-droppers he was very much aware of from trying to intervene with the reaming. Several attendants continued on with the tasks they were designated with, paying only minor attention to the royal family drama.

"Well?" the queen demanded when her son didn't respond immediately.

"I just... er... lost track of time!" Shuichi responded, saying the first thing that came to his mind.

"Lost track of time," the Queen repeated, not at all impressed by his answer.

"Ah... Yeah! I was...erm... trying to find a quest!" said Shuichi.

"And _why_ exactly would you be looking for a quest?" the Queen probed even more, watching her son dig himself even more into trouble.

"Because... um.. that's what a prince is supposed to do, right?" replied Shuichi with enthusiasm. "You know, slay dragons, save princesses, that sort of stuff!"

"Uh-huh," nodded Queen Shindou, "And you thought you could go out and slay a dragon with you're practice sword, right?"

"Well, um..." Shuichi stammered, placing his hand on the hilt.

"Honestly," sighed the Queen, "Between your running away and lying to me, I don't know which is worse."

"But mom, I-"

"Silence, you ungrateful son!" shrilled the Queen as she threw an unusually hard pillow at her son. "You expect me to believe that you were going to go killing dragons with a practice sword when you neglect your other princely duties?"

"Wah! I'm sorry, mom!" cried Shuichi as he tried to dodge the pillow. When it made contact, though, chibi Shuichi ended up slipping in the puddle his dripping clothes created on the polished tile, his head making first contact with the ground before the rest of his body.

"Aahhh, Itai..." Shuichi mumbled as he tried to sit back up, rubbing the back of his head.

"OH MY GOD!" shrieked the Queen when she realized what happened. "MY POOR BABY! MEDIC! SOMEBODY CALL THE ROYAL MEDIC!"

"What?" asked Shuichi before bringing his hand back to the front. He didn't even notice until he saw it that his hand was drenched with red.

"Kya!" Shuichi yelped in shock as some attendants immediately ran to his side.

* * *

><p><span>Scene 7<span>

_Shuichi (Variation II)_

"_Aaaah-Choo!_"

"You're going to be fine, Your Highness," said the royal medic after wrapping a bandage around the boy's head. With the help of Tatsuha (who was a gifted healer in his own right) and Suguru, said medic managed to get the bleeding to stop without too much hassle. The scene had migrated from the grand hall to Shuichi's room, which, while not small at all, was now crowded with everybody who were either in the throne room or otherwise listening in on the family squabble, along with the medic. Shuichi himself was now situated on his bed, feeling quite drained and suffering from a headache and a cold, but otherwise alright, and thankfully much dryer and warmer.

"_Now_ do you see why I can't allow you to go running off, Shuichi?" the Queen asked, trying to calm down after yet another near-death-experience of her son. "You're too delicate to even be allowed into the city by yourself! If you had run into a bandit gang, or even a dragon, you'd have no blood left in you after just a scrape!"

Shuichi just gave his mom a pouty scowl as she and king went to leave the room, assured that they're son would be alright for the time being.

"By the way, Captain Winchester," the Queen stated as she paused, "Since you were the one who retrieved him, be sure to punish him as you see fit once he's recovered."

"Awww," Shuichi groaned, already feeling his hand grow sore from the amount of writing K was going to make him do. K merely grinned as he cocked his gun.

"Also," Queen Shindou added, "My husband and I would like to have a word with you this evening about how he managed to escape _again_."

It was now K's turn to groan while Shuichi stuck his tongue out at the Captain. At least he wasn't the only one getting heat for today.

"Now you stay here and rest for the evening, alright?" the Queen said, returning to Shuichi, "I'll have dinner brought up to you shortly." She then turned back to the rest of the ensemble. "Everyone else is to leave my son be until the morning, when he has regained his strength."

"Can't Tatsuha and the others stay for a bit, though?" asked Shuichi as the attendants hustled out of the room.

"You're already in enough trouble, young man!" barked the Queen, "Other then the Royal Medic and servants, you won't have any visitors tonight."

"But moooom-,"

"No buts, Shuichi."

"Queen Shindou?" asked Tatsuha, moving towards the queen and gently taking hold of her hand, "If I may, it would be best if myself and Masters Nakano and Fujisaki stayed with Shuichi for a bit, just in case the bleeding starts again."

Shuichi, Maiko, and the two Magi recognized right away that he was putting on the old "Uesugi Charm" that the Holy Family was renowned for, with a dazzling smile and smooth voice that would make women (and sometimes men) swoon when it was being used.

"Shuichi is a very dear friend of mine, and I am very aware that, dispite his carelessness and lack of obediance, he is very dear to you as well, Your Majesty. It would pain me greatly if his wound were to rupture again and we weren't present to stop it. And you know that the three of us are very capable of treating Shuichi if that were to happen. Plus, having Maiko here would not only ease his mind in a way that only beautiful, loving women like yourself would, but she could fetch the Medic if, for some reason, our abilities weren't enough."

"Um... Prince Uesugi..." muttered the Queen, blushing quite heavily as Tatsuha's art of persuasion began to take effect.

"Now how likely would it be that his wound would open up again?" asked the King, fully aware of what was happening and getting slightly irked that his wife would be moved by the sixteen-year-old boy.

"Well, there is always the possibility of that happening," said the medic as he left the room. "I would recommend that at least someone stay with him for the night to keep an eye on him, but that's just procedure with any treatment of blood wounds coupled with illness."

"You may stay as long as you wish then," said the Queen without hesitation, fully bedazzled by Tatsuha.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness," Tatsuha replied as he gently kissed the Queen's hand.

"Come dear, we have other important matters to deal with," The king said irkedly, taking his wife by the other hand and marching back to the throne room with her. If he wasn't such good friends with his father, King Shindou would have loved to clobber Tatsuha every time he used that trick on the Queen (which was quite often).

As the Royal couple closed the door behind them, the youths remaining in the room burst into a fit of quiet giggles and warm chuckles. It was always enjoyable to see the Queen melt like warm butter to Tatsuha's charms, especially when it came to helping Shuichi get his way.

"Works every time," said Tatsuha smugly when he was sure that the King and Queen were well out of ear-shot.

"How do you always manage to do that?" Maiko asked between fits of giggles.

"Well," Tatsuha answered, putting on the bedazzlement again, "If you really wanted to know..."

"Hey! That's my sister your doing that to!" Shuichi shouted. While it was amusing to see that happen to his mom, Shu was very protective of Maiko. It didn't help that her face was turning just as red as the Queen's did.

"Oh, come on!" pouted Tatsuha, turning off the charm like a switch (although Maiko was still blushing), "Its not like I was actually gonna do anything. Not to mention if we _are_ gonna be married-"

"WHO ASKED IF I WOULD MARRY YOU?" shrieked Maiko, snapping out of her revere and punching Tatsuha in the face as hard as she could.

"Shorry aboutch thatch, Maiko-Chan..." Tatsuha murmured as he came back to his senses, swelling in his left cheek affecting his speech.

"Well, you should be!" Maiko huffed, "Just because we're friends doesn't mean I want you reminding me about Dad's stupid beliefs in old-fashioned notions of matrimony!"

"Well," Fujisaki responded, fighting against his better judgement to be quiet, "You _are_ a princess, and it is your dad's decision in the end who you marry."

"_What did you say, FUJISAKI?_" said Maiko dangerously, flames of outrage radiating off of her vibrantly. Every other male in the room was glad that they weren't in Fujisaki's shoes.

"_JUST BECAUSE HE'S MY FATHER DOESN'T MEAN HE CAN DICTATE WHO AND WHEN I GET MARRIED!_" roared the princess, giving the green-haired youth an upper-cut that could have potentially knocked him into the next century if she was capable of bending time and space with her fist.

It only took a few moments for Maiko to calm down; it would be a while before Fujisaki regained consciousness from the hit.

"It just bugs me, you know?" sighed Maiko. "Why can't dad just let me continue my studies? If I'm gonna be queen or anything, shouldn't I get the training needed for running a country?"

"What can I say, sis?" Shu nodded in agreement. "It's a man's world, and our parents are too old-fashioned to realize that you'd be better at keeping everything sane then Tatsuha would."

"Don't remind me," Maiko pouted, resisting the urge to punch her already injured brother.

"Sooo," interjected Hiro, trying to shift the mood of the room. "How're you feeling, Shuichi?"

"Huh?" Shu asked stupidly, lightly rubbing his bandages. "I'm fine now, a little light-headed, but..."

"So what happened to our plan, man?"

"Plan?"

"You know, the whole 'let Hiro be the one who brings me back home so that K won't get to punish me' plan?"

"Ah," said Shuichi in realization. "Yeah, about that..."

And thus, Shuichi explained everything that happened, from the moment the wind carried away his lyrics, to the encounter with the blond stranger.

"And then, he told me that a kid could right better then me! Can you believe that?"

"So..." started Fujisaki, who had returned to the world of the living midway through Shu's narrative.

"Your saying that you got riled up because some nobody insulted your lyrics," Hiro mused.

"So riled, in fact, that you completely forgot about how you were gonna get home while avoiding K?" added Tatsuha.

"And let yourself get caught by him?" piped Maiko on a final note.

"Erm... Well..." stammered Shuichi simply, "Yes."

**. . .**

"Are you seriously that dumb?" All three friends burst in unison, none of them quite believing the infinitely low levels of maturity Shuichi was able to exhibit. Chibi Shuichi cowered under the burning reaction of his comrades.

"Seriously, getting this worked up over what some nobody says!" sighed Maiko.

"B-but you guys weren't there!" the Prince stammered, "He acted as if he totally hated my guts!"

"So what if he did?" asked Tatsuha. "Its not like you're gonna ever see the asshole again, right?"

"Well," thought Shuichi, "You have a point..."

"And you probably wouldn't even recognize him if you were to run into him again randomly," pointed out Hiro.

"Actually," Shuichi said, recalling the guys face. "He looked a lot like Tatsuha."

"Huh?"

"Well, other then blond hair and a nasty expression," Shu answered, "Kinda like this..."

Shu then proceeded to stick his thumbs in his cheeks to widen his mouth, and his middle fingers to pull down the bottoms of his eyes in a rather poor reconstruction of the stranger's features.

"That looks nothing like me..." sighed Tatsuha, but Shu could have sworn that the young monk wasn't even looking at him directly.

"Doesn't even look like a human being..." responded the others,making faces of slight disgust at Shu's spectacle.

"And why were you even talking to him in the first place?" asked Suguru, "Didn't we teach you better then to talk to random strangers?"

"Hey, I was lost, alright?" Shuichi responded, "I was just trying to find my way back here... plus, he just seemed kinda cool..."

_KRA-BOOOM!_

A loud crack of thunder had interrupted the conversation as bright light illuminated the outside. Tatsuha peered out the window, only to see that one of the other towers was struck by a bolt of lightning. The storm in full sway now, the symphony of it now accompanied by the rumblings and rollings the thunder made.

"Oh great..." sighed Maiko.

"Hmm?" asked Tatsuha, turning back to the group. But where Shuichi was, there was now a slightly trembling mound of blankets and pillows on the bed. Shippo, who had been gnawing on a bone in a corner of the room the entire time, sensed his master's distress and gingerly leaped onto the bed, curling up next to the mound while licking at the covers (since Shuichi's face was not within proper licking boundaries).

"You're not seriously still afraid of thunder, are you?" Tatsuha asked in surprise. "I thought you outgrew that!"

"Hey, don't make-" :cough cough: "fun of me!" Shuichi coughed from under the covers.

"You know, hiding under there will only make your coughing worse," said Suguru.

"Would you like it if I were to get Lord Seguchi to try to Mute the room?" Hiro offered. Technically, both he and Fujisaki knew the spell that would have blocked exterior sounds from entering the room, but since they had to play the role of Bards-in-training, they had to find one of the other Magi to take care of it for them when in Shuichi's presence.

"Um..." murmured Shuichi as he sniffled from under the blankets, "please?"

"I'll be back in a minute then," responded Hiro as he got up and left the room.

And for the rest of the evening, no more thought was given to the stranger.

Except in Shuichi's dreams.

* * *

><p><em>Le Rêve du Prince (Les Quatre Princes)<br>_

Shuichi was running through the palace halls, his footsteps reverberating throughout the empty corridors. He was clad in a strange array of garments, consisting of a black sleeveless-turtleneck that cut off just above his abdomen, tight black shorts, boots, fingerless gloves, and a long, yellow and orange coat that had the sleeves rolled up and no method of closing. As he ran, he noticed that there was not a single soul present. No guards, no servants, no fellow nobles. Through the dining hall, the ballroom, the throne-room, and the grand hall... each room devoid of human activity. At last, he reached the grand double-doors that served as the entrance to the palace. Still, there was no one there to stop him; yet the doors, which were almost three men tall and quite heavy, flew open as he approached. Beyond the doors was nothing but what appeared to be moonlight; soft, blue-white light that didn't blind him, but Shuichi couldn't see anything passed the light. He didn't stop running, though. He kept going until he was enveloped by the light.

The scene changed, and now Shuichi found himself in the woods, trees flying by him as he continued on his way. His lungs were feeling cold and tight with every breath he took, his heart pounding as if it was about to explode out of his chest. Still, there was no way for him to stop. There was someplace he needed to be. Something he needed to see. If he were to slow down or stop...

Finally, the trees were beginning to thin out, and Shuichi immediately recognized the clearing he was about to enter. Finally feeling like he could slow down, he took in the scene he came upon; the shimmering lake, the sandy bank... the smell of the soft grass and wildflowers... the song of a nightingale echoing throughout the open area.

Shuichi's gaze then moved over to the cave, a fire-light dancing from inside of it. He slowly approached the mouth of it, and saw the silhouette of a tall man sitting in front of the fire, looking over a piece of parchment. Upon closer inspection, the prince recognized the blond hair and piercing eyes... yet those eyes weren't nearly as penetrating as when Shuichi first saw them. They were softer, more relaxed; colored with an emotion the prince couldn't identify. There was something almost breath-taking about the blond stranger in this moment.

But Shuichi was not prepared for when the moment broke. As if sensing his presence, the stranger reached for one of his swords while still holding the parchment, and turned to face Shuichi. Now the familiar, hate-filled look had returned, and that look was directed right at the younger male. The prince felt every ounce of himself choke up, especially his chest. He didn't want to be seen if it was with contempt. He didn't want to feel this-

Shuichi gasped for breath as he bolted upright. He looked around frantically, and finally realized that was back in his room, as well as his bed and pajamas. The storm had passed, but it was still quite dark out. Everyone had already returned to their proper quarters for the night, so he wasn't too surprised to find only Shippo in the room.

As he calmed down, he put a hand against his pounding head. He noticed he was quite clammy, and dripping with sweat. He also noticed Shippo looked quite concerned about his master's well-being.

His breathing slowing down, Shuichi let out a sigh of relief that he was only dreaming, but that sigh quickly became a cough, reminding him that he was still ill.

Shuichi decided that it would do his health better to change into a dryer set of pajamas, and also removed the bandage around his head. While it wasn't healed completely, he was certain that there was no more bleeding and thus that the bandages would do more harm then good covered in sweat. Plus, the pounding in his head eased with their absence. But as he crawled back into bed, he couldn't stop thinking about the blond stranger, or why he seemed to hate Shu so much... and he kept wondering that as sleep returned to him, although he did not dream for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p><em>So, not exactly what I was hoping to put up... Kind of thought it dragged out a bit in the end, but it was time to get this thing off of my desk-top and onto here. Besides, I know its been forever and a half since I last posted something. And yes, I am very much aware that people have been wanting more from Moonlight and Starlight, but honestly, I haven't had any inspiration for that one in so freaking long that its not even funny.<em>_ Since the re-release of Sailor Moon, I'll admit to having worked on it a little, but right now, my creativity has been gearing me more towards these fairy-tale/high fantasy ones more then Harry Potter has... Also, I'm kind of going through a tight spot right now, so for me to post anything is a miracle right now. I'm really sorry for not working on that one... I know I've disappointed a number of you. I also know I've disappointed a number of people who actually read this fic by having it be as shitty as it is. I'll probably re-post this once I finally am able to write like a decent human being_.

I'm sorry for disappointing you all


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